


A Notch In Your Bedpost

by FallOutFromGrace



Category: Naruto
Genre: Adult Sakura Haruno, Alternate Universe, Anbu Uchiha Itachi, Attempted Coercion, F/M, Haruno Sakura-centric, It’s just an excuse to make them bone, No Uchiha Massacre, Post-Break Up, Sasuke is a jerk, bear with me as i figure out where i want to go with this, but with plot, i didnt know this would actually end up planned decently, im totally winging this
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-31
Updated: 2020-06-07
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:49:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 24,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24470842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FallOutFromGrace/pseuds/FallOutFromGrace
Summary: Sakura had spent so long wondering and wishing to grow closer to Sasuke, hoping her fairytale relatioship would come true. However, the night of the summer festival made it clear he was thinking with the wrong head and she was left behind when she refused his demands of becoming just another sexual conquest. Unfortunately for him, but very fortunately for her, it drove her right into the arms of the more level headed one of the two Uchiha siblings.
Relationships: Haruno Sakura & Uchiha Itachi, Haruno Sakura/Uchiha Itachi, Haruno Sakura/Uchiha Sasuke
Comments: 65
Kudos: 309





	1. Said I Loved You But I Lied

**Author's Note:**

> The summary sucks, I apologize, but I’ve been writing this down after a dream hit me three days ago and I’ve been having a lot of fun. I’m sorry for the different sizes in chapters, I’m winging this as I go along. I’m gonna go ahead and show my age by saying please, r&r! It’s my second attempt at Naruto fanfic, and any feedback would help a lot.

“So... I thought, maybe after the festival, we could go sit by the Hokage Rocks...”

“...”

“Since the night looks so nice, I bet we can spot a lot of lanterns tonight. Don’t you think?”

“...”

“If...if you’d rather do something else, then that’s fine too, Sasu—“

“Yes, I would.”

Sakura held the mitarashi dango up to her mouth, stopped in her tracks and plans to chew on the freshly baked sweet. She stared at her date, deadpan look on her face, as she waited for him to continue to speak. But the sulking Uchiha scowled, opting instead for grabbing her by the wrist and dragging her away from the thick crowds in the streets. 

It wasn’t entirely alien of Sasuke to act cold and distant, it was ingrained in his personality at this point. Some even considered it part of his charm, the seething angst that seemed to come off of him in waves wherever he walked. But still, despite Sakura having grown tired of the same attitude since they’d been mere Genin, it seemed the other girls never had gotten bored of the ‘mystery’. 

And that bothered him. Or so she thought, anyway. 

About a month ago, after a particularly frustrating B-rank mission turned A-rank, Sasuke had come to her after she’d been patched up at the hospital and congratulated her on her good work. She felt a surge of pride and satisfaction wash over her then, finally hearing the praise she had craved for so long. And she damn well deserved it, having bust her ass one near casualty after the other after their group had underestimated their enemy. 

But something about it was off. He was stone, wall after wall built up right between them despite him attempting to reach out to her in what appeared to be a heartfelt compliment. It was almost too good to be true, to hear him speak of her in such high regards, and she should have paid more attention to that nagging voice in the back of her head telling her to keep her distance. And yet, she ignored it in favor of fulfilling a childish dream, of growing closer to the raven haired boy that she had looked fondly over for years. 

That had been her first mistake. Her second one was letting it get this far.

The winding alleyways in between the businesses and homes of the Konoha districts suddenly seemed to go on forever, every turn heading farther from the lights and voices of the happy crowds. Every step went faster, and Sakura was starting to find it hard to keep up with her Yukata limiting her mobility, but Sasuke seemed not to pay any attention or any care as he tugged on her harder and farther. Dropping her sweet in a puddle, she looked up to see the lanterns had already begun to be lit and released into the night sky. 

“S-Sasuke, stop!” She pleaded, annoyed and frustrated, “I can’t move that fast!”

“Then you should have worn something smarter,” he snapped back.

With one hard jerk, Sakura pulled herself free from his painful clutch, rubbing her sore wrist softly. 

“What’s the matter with you? If you didn’t want to come, then why did you agree in the first place?”

Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose. He turned towards her, staring her down, “I’m sick of doing this bullshit for you. It’s been weeks now, when are you going to give me a chance?”

Sakura frowned, confused, “Give you a chance...? What are you talking about, we’re on a date right now, Sasuke-Kun.”

“You know exactly what I’m talking about, Sakura. I’m getting tired of running after you, going to festivals and playing nice in coffee shops. You’ve taken long enough.”

“Taken long enough with what?”

She let her hand fall to her side, fisted in frustration. Sakura had been waiting for a fight, the entire week had been building up unknown tension in every interaction they had. She knew it would culminate tonight, but she half expected it to at least wait until they were done for the night and gone back to her place, as usual. But he was pent up, angry, and looking like he’d been betrayed. She glared at him then, returning the attitude right back at him, and took a tentative step back.

“You’ve been pissing me off since Monday, getting more and more upset every minute you spend time with me. What have I done to you?”

“It’s not what have you done, it’s what _haven’t_ you done.”

“Which is?”

“Put out.”

Sakura opened her mouth to say something, but the sheer idiocity of his statement made her burst out in a laugh. She doubled over, arms wrapped around her stomach attempting to prevent a cramp, but she couldn’t help it. It was crazy. This was what was bothering him so much? Sex?

“Are you kidding me?” She said, in between coughs, “You’re worried you aren’t getting anything from me? That’s ridiculous, i thought we agreed to take it slow.”

Sakura was blissfully unaware of how he had grown angrier until he was taking her wrist in his hand again and resuming his run and tug through the streets and alleys. Her laugher immediately died, a sudden concern finding its way in her chest as his grip tightened and his pace quickened. Her wooden geta clunked against the cobblestone, threatening to snap her ankles until she kicked them off and faired the ground with her bare feet. 

“S-Sasuke, this isn’t funny!” She shouted, hooking up her Yukata with her free hand to allow herself better give as she fought to catch up. Just as he was about to break out into a full, proper sprint, she sent a shot of chakra to her fist and slammed it onto the ground, bringing Sasuke along for the ride. Chunks of earth and rock flew a fair height, though the sound seemed to have not even bothered the ongoers of the festival as Sakura found herself almost by the Uchiha Compound and far from everyone. She breathed in heavily, Sasuke now standing tall and towering over her. She hadn’t even noticed when he’d let go of her, but that was besides the point now.

“You shouldn’t have done that,” he growled.

Behind him the lanterns floated away into the sky in droves, each one tinkling in the sky alongside the stars. She looked at them longingly, upset she had missed the event. 

“I wanted to light one...” she said softly.

“I want a lot of things. You included. Why do you refuse me?”

“I’m not refusing you, I’m just not ready for that,” she fought back, “You should understand that. Sasuke, I’m getting scared.”

“Then let me have you.”

“No, even less now! I thought you cared about me, is that the only reason you came to me?”

Sasuke shook his head, arms crossed over his chest. He had refused the traditional wear of the season and kept his jounin uniform on, and suddenly Sakura realized why he had refused to dress at all. Why would he, if he was planning on taking it all off later in the night?

“It wasn’t the only reason. I wasn’t planning on telling you, but seeing as you’re digging yourself into a hole, I might as well be honest.”

Walking up to her, hands now in his pockets, Sakura felt as if her space was being invaded and raised her arms ever so slightly in defense. 

“You were practice.”

The admission, to anyone else, should have devastated them. Heart sinking feeling in their chest, weepy tears threatening to spill in the corners of their eyes, denial, the works. Sakura immediately flew a punch at his untouched face, intent to disfigure or worse. Deftly avoiding the hit, Sasuke pushed her punch away by shoving her arm down towards the ground, twisting to stand by her side and holding her in a lock. Sakura growled, the obi around her waist feeling tight and uncomfortable. 

“Practice? Practice?!” She screeched, too loud for the Uchiha’s taste as he attempted to quiet down her screams of protest. But her fury was unmatched by none, he knew, and she was already reeling for a proper brawl.

“Is that all I am to you? Your teammate, your medic, your friend? Practice?!” She struggled against his grip, trying to fight him off and get away just enough to try and swing for him again, “You’re a disgusting piece of work, Sasuke, all that I’ve sacrificed to make sure you made it back home safe to your parents and your brother, and this is how you repay it?”

“Tch. I don’t owe you anything.”

“Bullshit!” She stopped her shouting for a moment to breathe, feeling so worked up she had a layer of sweat forming underneath the cotton layers of her clothes. Sakura took her foot off of a puddle, in the back of her mind already mourning the stains she would have to clean off from her Yukata, and the fire started up again. He wasn’t even considerate of that. Did he not realize how long it took to get ready, every time she went out with him? 

“You’re nothing, Sasuke Uchiha. You may have your clan, your prestige, but you’re nothing but a last name in an ocean of talented shinobi.”

She shook him off, turning in place to face him. Brushing her fringe back, trying to look a bit more presentable at least until she got back home, she snarled at him. When Sasuke refused to give her a reply, Sakura seethed. Aching for a reaction, something to make him feel just like she did, she looked him dead in the eye and smiled.

“It’s not a wonder your father never favored you.”

_Smack._

The sudden strike even surprised him. Sakura lifted a hand to touch her stinging cheek, shocked. Her guard had been down, clearly, as she had expected him to retaliate in every other possible way. She wanted him to curse, to shout, to get up close and personal, but to slap her across the face...? Her resolve was being pulled apart at the seams, and she was entirely astonished.

“Sasuke-Kun...” she whispered. She looked down at the ground, holding back a cry, and looking to stabilize herself. She had seen the look in his eyes after he’d hit her, the blow leaving even him in a stupor, and a little part of her hoped he would say something.

Lifting her head up to face him again, she found the space before her empty. Swallowing her pride, Sakura decided to leave the scene before anybody found her and started to ask questions.


	2. Nothing Comes As Easy As You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hoping to find Tsunade for a shoulder to grieve and cry on, Sakura runs into the person she least expects, and the one she never realized she could trust.

The windows of the Hokage Office were shining out into the night. Looking up at them, she sighed in relief as she carefully hopped over the rooftops to reach the window Tsunade had always left open for last minute visits. She didn’t stop long enough to wonder what her Shishou was doing up so late at night, or what could have been having her working at this hour. Her agony was becoming heavier by the minute, earlier moments replaying in her mind in a constant sidereel. 

It was as if her own brain was mocking her, prodding at the way she instigated him and trying to make her feel guilt when it was Sasuke the one that was aggressively attempting to coerce her into bed. Hell, was it even coercion at that point? The man was practically yanking her to his room. What could have happened if she had something to drink, her judgement a little clouded, or maybe just hesitated for a second?

A shudder ran through her body, and she cut the train of thought just as it rose. It wasn’t fair. It just wasn’t. She should have known, should have trusted her instincts when they’d warned her he wasn’t entirely interested, should have run off before he’d had the chance to touch her, should have broken it off even at the start of the week before it devolved into this disaster. Then again, despite the words being left unsaid, Sakura damn well knew they were split by now. 

“Not that he would apologize and try to make amends...” she murmured to herself, getting closer to the office. Sure, she hadn’t really deluded herself so far as to thinking they would really end up together. Fugaku had demands of who married into the clan, and it would only do for Sasuke to find someone as blessed as he was in every way, shape, and form. Sakura fit not one of his strict criteria, having had to claw her way to victory with her own blood, sweat and tears instead of belonging to a clan, a history, a legend. She wasn’t a Hyuga, an Inuzuka, even a Yamanaka. She was just a Haruno. And while she damn well felt pride in it, it was just devastating when nobody else did.

Before she realized it, tears were streaming down her cheeks. Finally by the building, she made her way up by its side and pushed the glass towards the inside of the room, promptly depositing her sorry, dirty, tear stained self inside. 

Her eyes immediately met a pair of onyx orbs, the familiarity striking her through the heart as she was hit by the same intense emotions all over again. 

“I...Itachi-senpai...”

She looked around the room, though there was no sign of Tsunade. No empty bottles, not even a mess of papers to indicate something had happened. Just an unmasked ANBU standing in the middle of the room, looking as stoic and patient as he always had. She sniffed, wiping her face with the back of her hand. She definitely didn’t expect to be in such close proximity to another Uchiha so soon.

“Haruno-San,” he addressed her politely, giving her a look-over that would have gone unnoticed by most, “I’m afraid Tsunade-sama has already taken her leave for the night.”

“I... I didn’t realize. The lights were on, I...I’m sorry.”

Sakura gathered up her skirt, turning to leave the same way she came, but a hand shot out to hold the window shut. Sakura paused, another small sniffle escaping her. She had done so well avoiding any eyes along the way, making sure nobody was around to ask questions or throw around rumors, but it had backfired at the very last minute and with the worst possible person. She could see it now, Itachi going on to tell Sasuke how he’d found her a disaster in the Hokage office, them laughing together during a training, her name being dragged through the mud despite all her hard work. All because a stupid man couldn’t be bothered to care for her as a person. Great. 

“Itachi-senpai, please let me go home,” Sakura sniffled, though her voice came out stable through her turmoil. Behind her she could sense him weigh his thoughts in his head for a few seconds, until ultimately he pulled away from her and her exit. 

“Tell me one thing,” he spoke softly, moving to her side to get a better look at her face, “What were you hoping to look for in Hokage-sama tonight?”

Sakura’s eyes darted quickly to his and back again outside the window. The last group of lanterns were being lit then, taking a lazy swim across the night sky. They swung back and forth, the little fire urging them to fly twinkling amongst the stars, and Sakura felt her chest clench. 

“I wanted... comfort...” she replied, unsure of what to reveal. Frankly, she wasn’t really sure if she would have told Tsunade everything either, her fears of turning out a failure and a weak little girl still lingering about in her head. But this wasn’t her trusted Tsunade, no. This was Itachi. 

Itachi have her a curt nod, as if agreeing with the sentiment. “We all do,” he said, his voice had turned even lower then as he spoke to the troubled medic, “But you look like you need something more than comfort.”

“What is that?” She asked, curiously. 

Itachi smirked, “For my younger brother to stop acting so foolish.”

Sakura watched as he leaned against the wall besides the window. He’d closed his eyes for a second as he brushed his fringe to either side and out of his face, and Sakura took the moment to get a closer look at him. She had hardly been around him, even through the times when she’d gone into the Uchiha Compound to fetch Sasuke for a mission, or for a date. He had become even more elusive than when they were mere children once he had been successful in entering the elite ANBU. She remembered the way Fugaku talked fondly of Itachi, almost every single time she had come by he was the topic of praise and affection from the older man. But his growing absences from his family home had made Fugaku grow more irritated as the weeks went by with no sign, no hair, no tail from his firstborn. Thinking back, she wondered if that was why Fugaku suddenly put his focus on Sasuke after years of neglect. Sasuke definitely became more egocentric all of a sudden, that was for sure, but he was also more exhausted and stressed than he’d ever been before. 

Itachi frowned, and she suddenly realized she had been blatantly staring at him. She coughed into her closed fist, embarrassed.

“What did he do this time?” He asked, ignoring her gawking. 

“What hasn’t he done?” Sakura rolled her eyes letting her skirt go as she realized she wouldn’t be getting out of this without saying something that would satisfy him. Though not too keen on exposing her misery, she hesitated saying too much. Itachi caught on, too easily for her taste, but he was ANBU after all.

“I’m serious, what did he do?” 

What would be the right thing to do here? Tell him, and risk ridicule? He didn’t look like the type of person who would throw her under the bus, but this was his brother they were talking about...

“I don’t know if...it would be smart to share, Itachi-senpai,” she said, sighing, “I think I should just go home and clean up. This was actually my mother’s.” She sniffed as she lifted the Yukata to show off the spots and blemishes that now scattered around the edge, brown marks hiding the koi fish print that decorated the fabric. Itachi hummed disapprovingly, kneeling by her feet for a moment to get a better look. Sakura took a dubious step back, unsure what to do with herself while she watched him grab a corner and run it through his fingers. Lifting himself back up, Itachi offered her his hand.

“Come by my place tomorrow and bring your Yukata. I’ve worked with worse before.”

“I couldn’t do that, it’s okay. Besides, it’s...probably my fault anyway. He did say dress smarter...”

Itachi turned on his heel, heading to the double doors that opened into the room. Sakura looked at him, confused, until he reached the switch for the lights by the wall.

“Then, at the very least, allow me to take you home. Nobody should be alone tonight,” he flicked the switch and they were covered in darkness. Though it took her a minute to adjust to the low light, Itachi made his way through it in a breeze and, this time, went ahead and held her hand before she could protest. “And much less someone like you, Haruno-San.”

Sakura blushed, clearing her throat one more time to get the last bit of sadness away from her voice. She’d heard much about the eldest Uchiha, his brutal skills in battle were barely matched by anyone alive today and the string of successes he had behind him were more intimidating than they were impressive. She didn’t doubt he was still human behind the mask, of course. But the gentle way he was treating her as opposed to the gossip that was thrown around amongst the shinobi of Konoha made her wonder where he was getting his sympathy from. 

She allowed him to lead her out the window, bending down wordlessly for her to climb on top of his back. She wanted to fight him on it again, but remembered that he was probably doing it out of courtesy as he recognized her mobility would be shot in her clothing. An ache rose up to her throat then, making it hard to breathe. Even he was considerate about it. It wasn’t that hard to be. Carefully lifting the skirt again so she could hold on to him better, Itachi wrapped his arms around her legs and pulled her closer to himself so he could rush into a sprint.

The night air cooled down her cheeks, drying her tears once and for all, and she looked up at the last lights of the lanterns before they hid away behind the trees and mountains on the far end of the horizon. She laid her head on Itachi’s shoulder, careful not to pinch his long hair, and turned down to look at the different homes and lights zoom past them. Most of the crowds had gone home already, the festivities done for the night by now, and a calm silence settled onto the village. Sakura mourned what could have been, thinking she would have done better looking for Naruto or Kiba right away instead of wasting time. 

Whatever. It was done and dusted. There was no going back from what he did and, in a way, Sakura was glad he dug himself in that deep of a hole. She was just as willing as Naruto to excuse and forgive what he did, for the sake of their friendship and future as a team. After this, she knew even Naruto wouldn’t let it slide. Smiling against Itachi’s neck, Sakura felt a little less alone then as he hopped silently from awning to awning, until he landed on her balcony. 

She didn’t bother asking him how he knew where she lived, leaving that for another day and another conversation, and slid off his back. 

“Thank you...” she said, “But you really didn’t have to do that. I always bounce back, no matter what.”

“Still, I can’t help but feel responsible in a way...” he admitted. 

“Why would you feel responsible? You haven’t done anything.”

“I...had a feeling it would turn sour tonight.”

Ah, so at least she wasn’t the only one who sensed the direction their relationship was headed. Itachi leaned against the railing, crossing his arms over his chest again, “He tends to be very...vocal...about his troubles when we spar. He trusts me, which I’m happy about because we are family, but I feel I should have done something to prevent this.”

“So...you know what’s been eating at him?”

Itachi nodded, “I do. But he never told me what he planned on doing to fix it.”

Sakura scoffed. So Sasuke had a big mouth and had been complaining about her lack of affection under the sheets for some time now, and Itachi was privy to their private conversations. It should have embarrassed her that he knew it all, possibly including deeply personal secrets she had shared in confidence with Sasuke, but what she couldn’t stop thinking about was how angry she was that Sasuke would spill in the first place. She laughed, her unhappiness transparent in the tone, and reached for the door to her small apartment. She stopped before turning it, wondering if she could find the comfort she needed in him instead.

“Do you want to know what he did?” She asked him, half turning to face him again. Itachi didn’t answer, choosing instead to push himself off the railing and follow her inside. The small home was fresh, a nice welcome to the heat and humidity that had been building up outside. She turned a lamp on, the warm orange lighting more soothing to her eyes than the sharp fluorescent lights that the Hokage office carried, and went to the kitchen to set up a pot of coffee. 

“So, you know it had nothing to do with him loving me, I take it?” She asked, scooping the powder into the filter. 

“I did. That’s why I felt responsible, but a part of me hoped he wasn’t entirely married to the idea of just passing you over.”

The phrase irritated her, remembering the sick look on his face when he admitted she was mere practice for his real love affair. Pouring the water in and clicking the machine, she left it to brew and proped herself up to sit on her kitchen counter. 

“It’s so stupid...” she mumbled, pulling apart her hair decorations and putting them besides herself, “I’ve been beating myself up about it, thinking I was so close to avoiding all of this, and now... I don’t know.”

“It’s not your fault,” he reassured, coming to meet her in her kitchen, “and I won’t make excuses for him either.”

“I just keep running it all through my mind, the way he talked to me, how angry he was over such a stupid thing, and then when he slapped me it just-“

“He slapped you?”

Sakura stopped fiddling with her hair, a knot in a ribbon having caught her attention before she noticed the change in his voice. Locking their eyes, the fury behind his own nearly made her jump.

“You...didn’t know that?”

“No. I didn’t. What led up to it?”

Sakura felt nervous then, her own words hanging heavy like a dark cloud. But the only way past this would be to be honest...

“I said something about your dad. It must have struck a nerve, something I thought I wanted to do until he hit me like that.”

Itachi scoffed. The room felt tense then, Sakura getting a slight taste of what Itachi usually kept behind lock and key only to be released against an unsuspecting foe, and she felt incredibly uncomfortable. Fortunately, Itachi didn’t let his emotions run amuck for too long and he relaxed again.

“What did you see in him?” He asked, out of the blue. The question was so strange that she wasn’t sure how to answer. 

“I...” she trailed off, pouting, “I cared about him a lot when we were growing up together.”

“What about now? You’re both strong, experienced shinobi in several ways. You’ve had a taste of battle, war, everything. What do you see in him that makes you think he’s your ideal partner?”

Yikes. The line of questioning was going further than she’d even asked herself when she was left alone at night. Sakura had never considered it further than completing a dream she once had, of becoming his woman and his wife. He had good qualities, of course. Sasuke wasn’t just an asshole, as much as he’d become a carbon copy of said organ in the last few months, but they weren’t any qualities she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. 

“I... guess there isn’t anything I see in him that way,” she admitted. The machine clicked, the room filling up with the scent of freshly brewed coffee, but before she could hop off and ask him how he took it, Itachi locked her on the cupboard in between his arms with a hand laid right beside each of her thighs. He shook his head, as if asking her to leave it alone a minute longer, and she complied. 

“Did you ever love him?” He asked. That question felt even heavier, her gut twisting in all sorts of uncomfortable ways. The way he was positioned didn’t let her look at anything else but at him, but it didn’t feel like he meant to scare or intimidate her (however questionable they were arranged to anyone outside her windows). She felt oddly trusting of him. 

“No.”

Suddenly the weight she had carried the entire night had gone away, the admission making her feel lighter than she’d ever had before in her life. The ease in which it just came out of her mouth even surprised her, and she repeated herself again, “No... no, I didn’t. I liked him, I love him, but I never was in love with him... I think I thought I was. Then he asked me out, and I felt as if I couldn’t let the chance go. I think, if I hadn’t, I would have spent the rest of my life wondering what if.”

Itachi moved away, crossing his arms over his chest again and listening to her speak. Now free, Sakura jumped off and grabbed two identical cups from a rack against the wall and started to pour the coffee. 

“I can understand that.”

He grabbed a cup before she could put any sugar in, taking a sip. Putting an overly-generous amount of sugar and milk in her own, she let the hot beverage warm her. It felt a bit strange, to be standing in her home with the company of Itachi, but every moment that passed she felt safer and more comfortable in his presence than she ever had before. A thought arose, and she quietly mulled over the idea that maybe she had pinned over the wrong brother. He looked at her then, and she blushed, turning back to her cup and wondering if the rumor that he could read minds had some truth to it.

“I’m just glad he doesn’t have you under his thumb anymore,” Itachi confessed, putting his cup next to the sink, “I hated seeing you lose yourself. You didn’t seem you.”

“How could you tell? We hardly saw each other.”

“Call it intuition. You didn’t seem as happy as when you were on your own. And, with Sasuke...” he snarled then, “I’m disappointed in him.”

“You and me both. But, hey, at least he didn’t get anything from me. It’s funny, if he would have just been a decent person, who knows where the night would have ended up. Now he’s sulking on his own after throwing his tantrum, and I’m with...”

She stopped herself in her tracks, blushing and smiling into her cup. Well, they weren’t **together** , it was all friendly and casual, but she and Itachi had technically ended up in her home after hours. Itachi caught on with her statement quickly and smiled himself, though the small pink to his cheeks didn’t escape her either. It was nice, easygoing with a good flow. When was the last time she felt like this with anyone else? Not even Naruto felt this easy to be around. 

“So, we’ve established you’re not exactly heartbroken...”

“More insulted and angry than anything else, but that is correct. Can’t be heartbroken if you weren’t in love in the first place.”

“I’ll see to it that he gets what’s coming for him. He’s too used to getting away scot free, but with father towering over him and practically living as his second shadow, even I have been having trouble getting through to him. Just have to get creative.”

“Creative...” she repeated, the wheels in her mind already turning.

“Something that would jar him enough to get his head out of his ass.”

Sakura reached up to her hair again, working out the last loops of the ribbon and pulling it off. Her hair cascaded past her shoulders in waves, flopping over one of her eyes rather dramatically. She noticed the way he looked at her had changed when her pink locks were freed from its neat bun, and wondered if maybe there was something more that drove him to her side that night. 

Feeling bold, Sakura blurted out, “What, like us sleeping together instead?” 

Keeping a close eye on his reactions, Sakura giggled when he couldn’t come up with any response and lightly tapped his sandal with her toes. The sight of her dirty feet made her realize she was still wearing the dirty Yukata, and was definitely due for a wash by now. Sakura pushed back her hair and grabbed her cup again, drinking the last of its contents and putting it next to Itachi’s empty one. The sight of the coffee having been finished made her realize the night was soon coming to a close.

The idea of him leaving, possibly to rarely share another moment like this again, had her feeling a little lonely again. Sure, she’d had a revelation that normally would require weeks and weeks of therapy, but it didn’t do much to the fact that she was again on her own, with nobody to share her time with. And now, feeling closer to him than she’d ever had before, there was no denying the interest that had started to grow in her heart for him. Thinking she had very little to lose, Sakura waited until Itachi met her eyes again. 

“Could you...stay with me?” She looked down at the floor between them. “Make sure I make it through the night alright?”

Before her Itachi shifted. He tapped a finger to his knee, and Sakura raised her head to look him at him properly. “I can’t,” he simply replied, keeping the details to himself. 

Sakura felt a little bit of disappointment, but tried her best not to let it show. “I’m not asking us to...do anything, that was just a bad joke,” she assured him, wondering if she had ruined whatever had begun to bud between them by suggesting such a thing (even though she wasn’t entirely joking). But Itachi smirked, taking her hand in his and tracing his thumb along her knuckles. 

“I can’t,” he repeated, softer this time, “But I would love to. Just not tonight.”

“Is it because you have work from Tsunade, or... is it because of Sasuke?”

“Both,” he said, and though it irked her to no end that Sasuke was interfering in her life by proxy yet again, she found herself appreciating the blunt honesty. “I’m sure you’re sure of yourself and your feelings, but this isn’t something I want to do with you fueled by spite.”

Damn. There really was no way of getting around the irritating, clever bastard. She had maybe hoped he would agree, the hopeless romantic in her already running daydreams and stories in her mind. Ultimately, Sakura agreed, giving him an annoyed nod and a sigh. 

“Isn’t there something we _can_ do out of spite?” She smiled, a little mischievously and finally feeling a little bit of her usual cheerfulness come back. Itachi looked out the corner of his eye again, Sakura recognizing this as him putting the pros and cons in his head to make a choice, but this time it ended in a small, nonchalant shrug. 

“Sure,” he said, closing the small bit of distance they had between them, “Just to tide you over.”

He grabbed her chin and gently gave her a kiss. Sakura’s eyes fluttered close, not expecting him to take that step, and let her newfound crush press their lips together. Just as softly as he began, he ended it and stood up straight again. 

“Just to tide me over...” Sakura repeated, cheeks pink, “You really are cocky in your own way, Itachi-senpai...”

Itachi smirked again, something that started to give her butterflies in her stomach, and he started to walk back to her balcony. 

“Perhaps,” he said, turning the doorknob and putting a foot outside. She blinked and he was gone, the door left open in his wake and nothing but a scattering of crow feathers to tell he had been there at all. Sakura raised a hand to her lips, feeling like a giddy mess, as she practically danced into the bedroom to untie the obi and let the Yukata pool around her feet. 

Maybe she’d take him up on that offer, to bring him her stained clothes. If anything, she’d be assured she would see him one more time. Thoughts a buzz, and too jittery to sleep, Sakura drew herself a bath and let her mind wander on the strange turn her love life had taken. 


	3. A Little Less Stalling, A Little More “Touch Me”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Am I naming my chapters over classic Fall Out Boy Songs and lyrics? Maybe. Am I a full on dork? Definitely.
> 
> Also, to note, I tried to make sure the yukata and kimono information truthful. If anyone finds any faults, please let me know and I’ll get to fixing it best I can.

Sakura stood at the gates of the Uchiha compound. She shifted her weight from either leg, a nervous energy making her fidget constantly. The morning had come quicker than she’d expected, and her happy feelings had lasted her all through her usual daily chores and errands. Even her training had gone off without a hitch, gracefully landing her targets with an ease she had never seen before. 

But as the hours passed, each minute ticking like a time bomb, she grew anxious. Itachi offering to help her clean her well worn and well loved clothes was very sweet, even though she could manage just fine on her own, and she couldn’t wait to see him again after they had left things floating in the air the night before. All of that was wonderful, to have a chance so soon to explore a little bit of what they had. What didn’t feel wonderful was that, to get to Itachi, there was a chance to cross paths with Sasuke and his father. 

She chewed on her thumbnail, hesitating as she took a tentative step closer. If their father disapproved of her with Sasuke, she couldn’t even imagine his thoughts on her if he knew the intentions that she carried behind such an innocent visit. Hugging the wrapped up Yukata closer to her chest, she mustered up some courage from wherever she could and pushed herself to walk in. 

Itachi, at some point after coming of age, had seeked out his own four walls. She figured it must have taken him quite a lot of convincing to be allowed to leave his family home, but the middle ground they appeared to agree on was a small place still behind the walls of the compound, far off by the calmer quieter areas of the grounds. It wasn’t ideal to him, she bet, as they could very well still stick their dirty mitts into his buisiness whenever they wished, but Sakura simply focused on how relieved she felt that she didn’t have to walk past Sasuke’s room to get to his brother. 

Turning right almost immediately, Sakura skillfully avoided being spotted by the more seasoned shinobi of the Uchiha. It wouldn’t do to draw any negative attention to either one of them, considering the village still thought she and Sasuke were still the lovebirds of Konoha. Though she felt quite silly having to flatten herself against the tight spaces between the houses whenever a familiar face tried to come too close. 

“This is ridiculous...” she mumbled to herself, wondering what it was about her that made everything so much harder. Maybe she had too much free time.

Sliding out of the cramped space, Sakura resumed her quick pace and held onto the package tighter until she found the place she was looking for. It didn’t look too different from the other homes from outside, save for his name by a small mailbox. Rapping on the door with her knuckles, she sighed in relief when he opened it almost immediately and stepped to the side to let her in. 

“I was hoping you’d take me up on the offer,” Itachi said, closing the door behind her silently. Sakura kicked off her sandals at the entrance. 

“Well, I needed a little help... I don’t want to risk destroying one of the few things I have left from my mom in the washing machine.”

Itachi grimaced, stretching a hand out so she could hand over the dress. He unfolded the wrappings and went on to examine the stains, running the simple fabric through his fingers like the night before, but in an even more careful manner. 

“Never put this in the washing machine,” he sounded stern, almost like an order. Sakura laughed as she agreed, thinking that he would make an interesting sensei if he ever chose to become one. Definitely had that ‘strike fear into the Genin’ kind of aura the Jounin all had. He led the way to a door on the back of the small house, opening it to a cleaning supply closet where he grabbed a few bottles and sprays. Stretching the Yukata out as best he could over the surface of his own washing machine, Itachi started to work his magic. 

“This is a very old print,” he said to her, gently rubbing circles on the splotches, “And if you aren’t careful, the colors will run and fade.”

“I usually just scrub it with my nails and wring it dry,” Sakura said, propping her elbow on a shelf and watching him work. Itachi paused, giving her a small glare. 

“I’m kidding!” She rose both her hands up defensively, biting back a grin, “I’m kidding, I’m not Naruto you know... but I have made the mistake of washing it with hot water.”

“I can see that. It’s not as vibrant as it should be.”

“How do you know?” Sakura asked, going back to lean against the metal shelving unit and closely watching his hands as they lifted the grime out of the koi fish’s faces. 

“I’ve seen it on you before,” Itachi explained, reaching for another bottle and covering another area. 

“When?”

“A few years ago... the same festival. I didn’t have the chance to take part in it then either, but I remember you standing out from everyone else.”

Sakura blushed, imagining him noticing her amongst the crowd in a packed festival. She remembered the day he was referring to, having briefly seen him looking at her before turning away and leaving the scene. The short moment had left her asking a few questions to herself, but seeing as he never showed up again she gave it up in favor for worrying herself over Naruto’s excessive consumption of dango. 

“Do you think we can save it?” She asked him, scratching her nose in an attempt to hide the way her cheeks reddened. Itachi nodded, pushing to the side the parts he had already cleaned and getting to work on what was left. It hardly took much time at all, though Sakura had to admit that whatever she had in her own supply of detergents and softeners didn’t even come close to what Itachi was using right now. Not that she would have been lazy in her cleaning, it just wouldn’t have come out the same. 

Now satisfied, Itachi dunked the dress in a cold, bubbly soak, making sure to squeeze the excess water out before taking it out completely. Heading out to the back, he put it up on a clothes line to let it dry on it’s own. 

“It’s a hot day today again,” he said as he came back inside, “It shouldn’t take too long before you can take it home.”

“Thank you, Itachi-senpai. It’s very kind of you to help me out.”

Itachi shrugged, a curious habit of his, and made his way to his own kitchen. Something about this entire situation felt unnecessary, as if it was something that she could have easily done herself even if he wanted to help. He didn’t have to stand there working his way through the stains, anybody else would have easily given her the products and told her to take them home. Itachi didn’t, instead taking the time to talk to her as he treated her clothes with care. 

She followed him through the entryway, leaning against the doorframe. His home was decorated minimally, though a few traditional trinkets could be spotted here and there. He had no plants, not much of photos and artwork on his walls either, but it didn’t feel as empty as people would think. It felt cozy, in a way, despite missing all the usual cozy attributes. 

“Never really imagined myself coming over to your place,” she mused out loud. Itachi offered her a cup of tea (when had he prepared that?), which she accepted happily and took a sip. 

“Busy imagining yourself going over to Sasuke?”

“Pfft, no, silly... just never thought I would get the chance to know you at all.”

Itachi hummed, drinking from his own cup. “ANBU tends to have me disappearing more often than I’d like.”

“I’m...somewhat familiar with the happenings,” Sakura said, thinking back on the things Tsunade would confide in her with after the bottles of sake had run dry and her resistance to the alcohol thinned. Though the Hokage still took care not to reveal too much of the underground of the Konoha shinobi, Sakura knew enough to know that it was no easy feat to accept a mission in their unit. And with Itachi’s caliber...one could only wonder. 

“Still, it’s nice we ran into each other when we did. I just hate that you saw me that way,” Sakura had an abashed smile on her face, wanting to change the subject but still a little bothered at how much it had gotten to her. 

“Nothing to be ashamed of, if you feel something then you feel it. Did you let it get to your head?”

“Well, no...”

“Then you’re alright.”

The way he treated it all made Sakura feel warm and assured. Anybody else would have made a big deal out of it, asking her why she was so hurt by the man, why it affected her so much she had to run into the arms of the Hokage. If it had been Ino who caught her, the pinkette would have stayed up until daylight broke with her blond friend wearing a circle in the carpet as she ranted and scolded both her and Sasuke. But Itachi referred to it normally, thinking of it as just something that happens in ones life. It made that little spark ignite in her chest again, a little flutter of butterflies as she stole a glance here and there when she thought he wasn’t looking. She knew he knew, he wasn’t called a genius for nothing. But who could blame her?

“Plus, I almost ruined that Yukata... it’s the only one I have.” Sakura had the image of her mother in her dreams the entire night, chastising her for never going out and getting herself a nicer one instead of keeping that old rag around. At this, Itachi clicked his tongue on the roof of his mouth and put his tea to the side. 

“I can help with that...” he muttered, moving past her and going up the short flight of stairs. Sakura panicked a little, quickly putting her own tea down next to his while trying not to spill it, and shouted up at him from the bottom. 

“Y-you don’t have to help me with that, Itachi-senpai!”

“Why not?” He shouted back. Sakura could hear a few boxes being moved around, along with the clinking of clothes hangers and she fretted around the stairs wondering if it would be appropriate to walk up. It didn’t even seem like there were any proper rooms up there, just an open floor where he kept his bed. Which meant she’d essentially be in his bedroom, his private area, and would that be appropriate? But if she didn’t stop him, he would be doing something else for her that would be completely unnecessary and, ugh. Shaking her head from side to side, she took a step back still trying to figure out what would be the right thing to do until his voice shouted back, a little annoyed, “Are you coming or not?”

Sakura peeked her head up through the stairs. It looked just as she’d expected, save for what she thought would be a bathroom and a decently sized closet that cradled the way up into the room. The windows were opened, a warm summer air flowing through them that made her feel comfortable and like taking a nap. His bed definitely looked comfortable enough. 

“Comfortable for a lot of things...” she snickered to herself under her breath and yelped when Itachi suddenly lifted his head from the other side. He put a box on the comforter, shoving it at her direction. 

“Try this on,” he instructed, tilting his head at the bathroom door behind him. Knowing she wouldn’t be getting out of this either, Sakura huffed as she grabbed the brown cardboard box and stuck her tongue out at him as she passed him. Inside the small room, she tried her best not to snoop around and hurried to pull her top and medic skirt off. Opening the box, she blinked dumbfounded as she realized the fabric was not cotton, but silk. 

“Itachi-senpai...?” Sakura asked, mouth hanging agape as the pattern on the dress slowly revealed itself as she pulled it out of the box with extreme care, “This isn’t a Yukata.”

“No, it’s not,” She heard him respond from the other side of the door. She could almost hear his sly smirk. 

“I thought you gave me a Yukata, this is a formal kimono...”

The deep, navy blue of the back was so astonishing Sakura could hardly believe she was so close to the garment. She had, on occasion, walked past the expensive shops down by the shopping district of the civilian sections in Konoha, gawking at the intricate embroidery and worksmanship on the Kimono. But usually she turned right around before she had the chance to step into the store when the price tag caught her attention. They ran into the hundreds -if not thousands-, and this one was nothing short. Dress completely out, she turned it over and laid it across the sink to get a better look at it all. It was glorious. It was absolutely one of a kind. And it was _not_ ending up in her care. 

“Itachi, this is insane. I can’t accept this,” she said, dropping the honorific. The man would just have to deal with her being impolite. She caught a glimpse of the Uchiha crest on the sleeve and frowned, “This is a tomesode, and it’s...” tugging the sleeve to the side to reveal the print further, she choked on her own spit, “Five crests?! Whose Kimono is this?”

“My mother’s.”

Sakura raised her arms up in the air and took a step back from the offending article of clothing. His mother’s kimono. His mother’s expensive, well designed, Uchiha crested, tomesode kimono. What was he thinking? Quickly trying to conjure up an excuse to get out of this incredible gift, she cleared her throat and pressed herself against the door. 

“I can’t wear this, I’m not an Uchiha.”

“There’s a second one underneath.”

“A second one?!”

Sure enough, what she had thought was a folded obi turned out to be a less formal, non crested, yet still way over her own budget, iro-tomesode. It was a nice soft peach, adorned with a zen bridge that crossed along the skirt of the kimono and covered in blooming flowers. It was much more up her alley, especially as she pressed it against her chest and saw it didn’t clash with her hair at all, but the gesture was just too much. 

“This one’s a bit better, I suppose...” Sakura took off her elbow guards, folding them along with the rest of her uniform, and began the process of putting on the damned, pricey thing. 

“You can keep both,” she heard him say, a little less muffled than last time and closer to the door, “We can save the crested one for when we’re married.”

“Haha, ah, that’s... yeah, that’s a good...joke...” she slowly lowered her voice as she trailed off, irked and wondering if he was really joking or if there was a half truth to the statement. Knowing Itachi it was probably the driest banter anyone would get out of him. Though, again, he did say she could keep the five crested kimono...

She grumbled, swiftly slipping the hadabujan around herself and wrapping the first sash with ease. She wasn’t entirely looking forward to the layers on her body in this heat, but she was just trying it on for a few minutes. The perfectionist inside her didn’t allow her any leeway to not put it on properly despite the short wear time, though, so she took her time carefully adjusting the clothes on her body. Now ready for the Kimomo, Sakura took care not to squash the collar as she slid her arms through the sleeves, feeling a little thrill as she could see it taking form in the mirror. 

The only thing left was the obi, which she rarely ever managed to put on herself. But before she opened the door to ask for the help, Sakura took a few moments to look at her reflection. Sure, she was missing some accessories and a proper hairstyle, but even as her plain old self with her long hair curling here and there down her back, she felt like a proper noblewoman. It was strange. Normally, it would have really weirded her out to look so unlike herself, but there wasn’t even a trace of her insecurity.

Taking the waist parts of the outfit in her hands, she opened the door and smiled at him shyly. Sakura offered him the obi and datejime, “Help?”

Itachi took them, instructing her to turn around. Sakura pushed her hair away, bunching it over her left shoulder and lifting her arms up to get the sleeves out of the way. He started to wind the first sash around her waist, tightening it snugly without constricting her breathing. The silence between them as he helped her finish putting everything on held a strange kind of intimacy, something she had only done with Ino beforehand to get ready for an event. But even those moments were filled with giggling, gossip, and make up thrown all over the room as they chatted the time away. Now, wearing Itachi’s mother’s old kimono and having him tie the obi around her felt like time had stopped all of a sudden, and something more was brewing underneath. 

Tightening the bow in the middle of her back, Sakura let her hair cascade once more behind her and she turned to face him. 

“So...how does it look?” She asked, playing with a curl. She wiggled her toes, the color of her nails standing out horribly against the light toned tomesode, but Itachi didn’t seem to care or mind that she’d opted out of trying the tabi along with it. 

“Like it was made for you.”

Sakura blushed, smiling at him as she did a little twirl to show it off. It was a near perfect fit, which surprised her since Mikoto didn’t seem anywhere near her body shape. A beautiful and stunning woman with curves that Sakura definitely lacked. Not that she was focused on her body in that way, she was proud of how far she’d come and how fit she’d kept herself through rigorous training and exercise. But it made her wonder how old the garments were and why he’d held on to them all this time.

“Why are you giving them to me?” Sakura asked, fidgeting with that same curl of hair again, “These are worth a fortune, and your mother might want them back someday.”

Itachi shook his head, “Not likely. She gave them to me to keep safe, and she has more than enough either way. She treats them each individually with love and care, of course, but these in particular were given to me.”

“Alright... but that still doesn’t explain why you want me to have them. I thought you were giving me a Yukata, these are too thick and warm for the summer.”

“I know, but I’ve seen you wear that same Yukata even in the winter with a painful amount of layers underneath. Now you don’t have to.”

Sakura frowned. Well, that was blunt. 

“Not all of us can afford a wardrobe of traditional clothes, you know,” she crossed her arms over her chest, now feeling slighted, “Some of us are just fine with what we own, we make do.”

“True,” he agreed, purposely looking oblivious to the anger that was starting to rise within her, “but it would be cruel to let them live the rest of their lives underneath my bed when there’s a beautiful woman who would do them justice right here.”

Instantly defused, Sakura kept her frown despite the growing blush on her cheeks. The guy was smooth, she’d give him that, and quick with his words. Naruto would have tripped on every syllable and ended up with a semi-serious head injury from her fists, and Sasuke... Well, Sasuke would have never been kind enough to even give her the time of day in the first place. She thought back on the night before, how easy it felt to just talk and be around him, and how easy it was to be here with him today. It all just felt different to anyone else, as if life suddenly turned low maintenance and his serene personality stretched out into everything he touched. Sakura touched her lips again, thinking of the short kiss he’d given her before he left. To tide her over, he’d promised.

“Itachi-senpai...“ she called, looking into his eyes again, “Would it still be out of spite if we kissed again?”

“No,” he answered, reaching to take her hand in his, “Not anymore.”

“What’s different this time?”

Itachi pulled her in, wrapping his free arm around her waist to keep her close. “Spite didn’t drive you to go through the trouble of coming to my door today.”

Sakura smirked, “What makes you so sure of that, genius?”

“If you were doing this to hurt him, you would have made sure Sasuke would have seen you come this way. But you didn’t. You’re here entirely because you want to be.”

“And you needed to make sure?” 

Itachi nodded. Sakura tucked her finger into the space between his neck and collar, pulling it out from under itself. The brief contact with him was enough to note his heart rate was quicker, and his breathing shallowed.

“Well, I have been successfully tided over now... but I need something more to keep me steady. Do you think you can help me?”

He let go of her hand, grabbing her chin instead to tip it upwards. Sakura’s breath caught in her throat, a feeling unfamiliar to herself every time she’d been around somebody before and it made her feel nervous. Still, she felt safe, the breeze picking up again and cooling them down as Itachi lowered to meet her in the middle. His lips brushed against hers delicately, the warmth of their breaths intermingling as they tested the waters of this uncharted territory. It was slow, almost innocent in the way they held onto each other as if nobody else existed. The shouts and screams of the younger children could be heard from the outside, followed by a few caws of the crows Itachi had following him everywhere, but it all drowned out into a muffled background noise.

She breathed him in, thinking that if this was going to happen then she’d be damned if she didn’t take it slow. Itachi pressed her closer to himself, as best he could with obi and all. Sakura noticed he was a little annoyed that there was more clothing between them than there had been before. Smiling against his kiss, Sakura broke it with a small smack. Reaching around herself, she tugged on the beautifully tied obi until it gave way and fell in a circle around her feet, followed by the waist tie underneath. Itachi nudged her towards his bed, guiding her backwards until the back of her leg hit the end of his bed frame and he gently pushed her down to sit. 

Refusing to break the kissing for too long, Sakura half-crawled on her back until she could fully lay on her back while Itachi kept them close and followed her up. He pulled away, tilting her head to the side so he could suck on her neck and leave a trail of loving marks and blemishes on her porcelain skin. Sakura sighed, the kimono sliding off her shoulder and revealing more areas for him to marr with his affection, and he took the chance hungrily. Satisfied with what he had done so far, Itachi propped himself up to get a better look at her. Sakura’s hair was spread out over his pillows and her face had turned a charming shade of red. 

Sakura frowned at him, getting impatient and wiggling underneath him. She shimmied the kimono a little further down, the edge now resting just above her nipples and the skirt riding up all the way up her thigh as it loosened even further. Getting the reaction she was hoping for, Itachi took the hint and laid his palm on top of her knee and began his devastatingly slow ascent up. Sakura growled, both hating and loving the pace as she anticipated his touch. He bent down to kiss at her throat now, suckling harder and leaving darker bruises in a path that led down to her chest. 

When his thumb rubbed against her nether regions, Sakura held her breath. She could hardly keep herself in check, the whimpers and purrs that came out of her throat making her feel like such a sleaze with how easily he awakened a passion inside her. She felt him smirk against her skin, possibly feeling good about himself with how much of a writhing mess she had become in such a short time. 

She moved her hips to get him to rub a little harder, very close to throwing all sense of pride into the trash so she could beg, but thankfully Itachi had enough of torturing her and slipped his hand down the front of her panties. Sakura had been watching him caress her with all her attention, but finally getting him to touch her right where she’d been aching was too much. She shut her eyes, throwing her head fully back and mewled sensually for him, his expert fingers teasing her just before he inserted a digit inside. 

Itachi dipped his tongue into her collarbone, feeling the way her chest vibrated with every moan she did for him. It was divine, nerve wracking, and absolutely destructive. Sakura could hardly come up with a coherent thought, all of her senses tuned into the ANBU pinning her to his mattress. 

“I...Itachi...” she rasped, her mouth dry and her orgasm growing closer. “I... won’t last very long.”

Itachi turned his attention back to her mouth and hungrily devoured her lips in a passionate kiss, quieting her worries. Adding a second digit inside, he reached in a little deeper, curling his finger just right until he found the spot that made her cry out in pleasure. Repeating the action, he reached over with his thumb to cover her clit and rub against it softly. It was sweet. It was painful. Sakura could hardly contain the noises she was making, every little inch of her body fired up and wanting more. The edge was coming closer, quicker than she would have liked, but at this rate all she wanted was to cum for him and say his name. 

Swallowing the combination of their spit that had pooled in her mouth, Sakura was about to reach her peak when she felt Itachi freeze on top of her. 

“What the _fuck_?”


	4. The Last Good Thing About This Part of Town

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To my amazing friend who watches too much Naruto to this day and is obsessed with Sasuke, thank you so much for helping me brainstorm this chapter. I love you so much, ur my real Uchiha except without the angst and the murder.
> 
> This chapter is also incredibly cheesy and I feel like it reads like one of the shojo manga I read way back in the day, but I adore it so much. I hope you guys like where it’s going!

Sakura liked to think of herself as responsible. She was always on time, always finished her duties and went the extra mile for her patients, and has never had a blemish on her record. Every mission that she has graced with her presence had been done with flying colors, all with praise and admiration from her peers. 

So it would go without saying that finding herself sitting outside the home of Sasuke and Itachi’s parents after getting caught fooling around wasn’t exactly on her list of accomplishments. No, it wasn’t even on her list of most embarrassing moments. It was on her list of Things That Make Me Want To Die, which, until today, had remained thankfully empty. 

She groaned, burying her face in her hands. It had been going so well. She could hardly believe it as it was happening, how completely focused on her Itachi had been and how he seemed to smirk and kiss her harder every time she made a noise. Just remembering those few moments made her thighs twitch, the memory of his touch still lingering. 

But, as usual, there is no rest for the wicked. Sakura was not allowed a break in life, much less in romance, and she was caught red handed by Sasuke. It seemed he had a habit of barging in to his brother’s home whenever he liked, expecting Itachi to drop everything -or whomever- he was doing to train at his demand. Usually Itachi would have noticed him a mile away as he came closer, his chakra was never concealed and always bold and in your face. Sasuke wasn’t one to hide in the shadows, after all. But becoming engulfed and preoccupied with Sakura had made him slip, forgetting the world around them a little too much. And it had quickly turned into another disaster. 

Just as she couldn’t stop thinking of Sasuke’s face after he slapped her, she couldn’t stop thinking about his face as he gave her the darkest glare he could muster. She panicked then, stuttering and pulling at the kimono to cover herself further and silently thanked whatever god was out there that neither of them had stripped. She still had her dignity, Sasuke hadn’t seen hide nor hair of her privacy, but he did get an eyeful of his older brother going knuckle deep in his ex-girlfriend. Or, well. According to Sasuke, she was still his girlfriend. Whatever gave him that idea she couldn’t tell, because anyone with half a brain could tell their relationship was clearly over. 

However, as far as anyone else was aware, Sakura was the guilty one. The harlot that corrupted both Uchiha prodigies, the heir to the Clan and the... huh, what did Sasuke have, anyway? She peeked in between her fingers and frowned as her eyes met a large crest on the far wall. Why did he act all high and mighty all the time? Unless Itachi refused, he was the one who would lead the clan. He was the true prodigy, the genius, the everything. And with all of that behind him, Itachi never acted like he owned the world, but Sasuke did. 

She huffed. It didn’t matter. What did matter was the entitlement Sasuke felt towards her and her body, that was all he really cared about. That she denied him but went ahead and gave his elder brother “access”. Gross. 

“I want to die...” she mumbled into her hands, groaning even louder this time. 

After Sasuke found them and stormed off, Itachi gave her a quick kiss and an apology before running after him. She’d stripped clean of the kimono, putting it back in its place as quickly and neatly as she could, and put on her medic uniform back in record time. Planning on making a quick, clean escape and hiding in her bed for the next eternity or so, Sakura tied on her hitai-ate and turned on her heel only to be stopped by Uchiha Mikoto right outside of Itachi’s home. The woman was very gentle, choosing her words carefully so as not to alarm her further, and Sakura appreciated it very much. After talking for a few minutes, Sakura agreed to follow her back to the main house in the compound and wait patiently until she was called in.

Which was extremely stupid if you asked her, but she never did understand these strange clan behaviors anyway. She remembered Hinata talking about a few family members having some unapproved affairs, and how she had to sit through them talking and deciding how to handle the situation. Why they had to ‘handle it’ was beyond Sakura, being under the impression that as adults you could make your own decisions. Clearly it wasn’t the case here, and she had really gotten caught between a rock and a hard place. 

“Haruno-San...” the soft spoken voice made her ease up a little bit, lifting her head up and smiling as Mikoto handed her a cup of hot tea. “How are you doing?”

“I’m alright, thank you. Just...”

“Worried?” 

Mikoto took a seat besides her, gathering her skirt so it wouldn’t bend as she settled herself on the wooden step. They were facing their back garden, a collection of ponds and a river surrounded by a carefully ornamented rock garden. She was happy she wasn’t told to wait out front, the thought of people walking past and questioning why she was hovering around was enough to make her anxiety come back, and even more thankful that the garden was walled up. Still, despite the sounds of the water rushing past and the serene atmosphere attempting to soothe and tranquil even the most frustrating thoughts, Sakura’s mind kept racing at a thousand miles per hour. Mikoto seemed to sense this, putting her hand on the young woman’s knee and giving it a comforting squeeze.

“Don’t worry so much,” she assured her, “It’s not like they’re all saints, and neither is Fugaku. Then again,” Mikoto playfully whispered in her ear with the back of her hand concealing her mouth, “Neither am I, but that’s our secret.”

Sakura smiled, thankful that she had come to keep her company.

“I just... I’m not playing either of them, I promise. I know it looks shady, but...” Should she say anything to their mother? It didn’t really feel right to air either of their dirty laundry to a parent, but leaving her without at least trying to explain herself wasn’t ideal either. “It’s...complicated.”

“Ah, complicated. I know that word better than the back of my hand. I’ve heard nothing but good things about you, Haruno-San. You are very loved in all of Konoha, and you know you have a home with us. You have saved Sasuke more times than I can count, and I’m very grateful to you for that. So, naturally, when I heard you and Sasuke were together, I was very happy. But Sasuke had grown more troubled by that time, and I couldn’t help but worry over you too.”

Sakura frowned at this. She sat herself up and turned so she was able to properly look at the woman. So, that made both her and Itachi that knew it would have been nothing but a dumpster fire. That’s great. Why nobody bothered to tell her, she had no clue about, but anyone that came up to her with the excuse that she had to figure it out herself would end up with a cracked jaw. Mikoto sensed her unease and gave her knee another squeeze, smiling at her again. 

“But then I remembered Itachi had his eye on you too. And I wasn’t as worried anymore.”

Sakura blinked. She wasn’t sure how to address that, the only thing she knew that was concrete about Itachi was that he was interested and made a move once Sasuke had backed off. She had thought things over about her own feelings, after Itachi helped her figure out how she really felt about Sasuke and their relationship, and how it had all built up over the years. She hadn’t exactly had the chance to stop and wonder, why did he really take the time to help someone like her? He’d said he felt responsible to a degree, but that alone wouldn’t drive someone to go out of their way this much. And, there was that crested kimono he gave her...

Sakura sighed, the weight coming back on her shoulders. She was tired. Tired of having to figure things out, tired of things not working out, tired of it all being so complicated. Things were just fine when she was just Medic Sakura, girl who hardly left her apartment and smelled like dust and old books and sterile cleaning supplies. Sure, she was lonely and maybe only had a fling or two, but she didn’t have any of this...love triangle she was dealing with now. 

“How long has he had his eye on me?” Sakura asked, regretting it as it came out. She shouldn’t be prying his mother for things they should talk over themselves in private, eventually, but she couldn’t help the curiosity. Mikoto grinned, as if she was hoping Sakura would ask, and took her hand back. 

“Oh... a few years, I think. But he was so busy, he didn’t even have the chance to say hello. I remember him telling me about you, what you liked and didn’t like, who you punched that day of the week, and how he missed seeing you when he was gone.”

“Few years...” Sakura repeated. She stretched her legs out from underneath her, pushing a rock with the tip of her sandal idly as she took it all in. It wouldn’t get her anywhere to wonder if all of this could have been avoided if he had been able to seek her out then, back then she was also busy, sleep deprived, and overworked. By the time things had relaxed and stabilized, Sasuke had appeared holding the holy grail. But instead of it being made of gold and jewels, it was copper coated in paint with plastic glued to its sides. 

“Trojan horse, motherfucker...” she mumbled under her breath, though quickly recovered and apologized to Mikoto for her swearing. Mikoto giggled, putting a finger to her mouth in a shushing motion. 

“Did... Sasuke know how Itachi felt?” She asked carefully, still curious and craving more information.

“Oh, yes. That was one of the reasons Sasuke seeked you out. Bit of a sibling rivalry since Itachi stopped spending time with him and started leaving more and more.”

“Ah, you don’t say...”

Now that was a revelation she was glad to have received. It made sense. She didn’t think Itachi would purposely drag her further into their feud by asking her to come over, the look of surprise was definitely genuine when he saw his brother had found them out. Still, it didn’t sit right that suddenly she found herself in between them this way, all the way to point of their parents having to intervene. It was so embarrassing. She was supposed to be an adult, a grown woman who didn’t mess around with petty drama anymore. It was all supposed to stop as they grew older and wiser, but apparently adults had the same kind of stupid arguments that kids did. Only with higher stakes. 

Sakura leaned against Mikoto’s shoulder, thankful for how caring she was being then. Mikoto wrapped her arm around Sakura’s shoulder and rubbed her arm in a loving, motherly way, taking a drink from her own tea with her other hand.

“Sorry I couldn’t tell you all of this before,” she apologized, to which Sakura was a bit astounded to hear, “But the boys needed to figure this out themselves. You didn’t deserve to be pulled into any of it, I do believe you have some innocence in all of this. But still, you do have to take responsibility for what you have done and own up to it. If anything, it shows your strength and that you are willing to live with your heart on your sleeve, not tucked away in a box in the dark. And that is a rare thing to see these days.”

Her advice soothed Sakura’s frayed nerves, and she let herself drink in her company in silence for a little while. She was right. Sakura knew it all already, but hearing her say it out loud made her feel more sure about what to do about it all. Hell, it wasn’t even really a love triangle at all, and she could even go as far as to assume that even Itachi was innocent to a point as well. If Sasuke hadn’t meddled and felt he needed to own her before Itachi, their love could have bloomed and it would have all taken slow steps. It was no wonder she’d felt so tense around Sasuke since day one, it had all been a smokescreen so he could flaunt her around Itachi and feel superior. It was really sad. He’d felt so forgotten, so inferior to Itachi that now he needed to be everything he was, but better. Sasuke’s problems went deeper than she thought. 

Mikoto tapped on her shoulder. Sakura lifted her head, noticing she was looking right behind them and still smiling. Sakura turned around and saw Itachi, arms crossed over his chest and nonchalantly leaning against the wall. Mikoto rose up to her feet, offering to take Sakura’s tea away for her. Giving Itachi a sly look before she left them to their own devices, Sakura rolled her eyes as she realized who he took after the most out. 

“So...” she said, standing up and dusting herself off. She felt awkward, their former amorous exchange was put under a pin after they had been so rudely interrupted, and Sakura didn’t really know how long he had been standing there for. Did he overhear everything Mikoto had said to her? Hell, at this point, was Mikoto clued in on it and told her on purpose, knowing Itachi was present? Probably. The woman birthed two of the strongest, most impressive shinobi of their time. Gotta give her credit.

Itachi didn’t say a word. He kicked off the wall and wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug, putting a hand behind her head and burying his nose in her hair. Sakura closed her eyes, hugging him back with the same kind of intensity. It wasn’t fair. But they could try to make it fair. A minute passed and she felt him breathe in deeply. Expecting him to come out with some form of a grand display of affection, she was confused when all he said was, “Don’t panic.”

“Don’t...don’t panic? Why?” She tensed, and Itachi hugged her tighter, “Why? What’s going on?”

“My father may have sent for Tsunade.”

“...Come again?” Sakura felt her fury come to life. 

“Don’t panic,” he repeated, though his attempts to soothe her temper were weak in comparison to the anger that was bubbling in her chest, “We talked and he chose to believe Sasuke over me. My father and him now share the belief that you should not be fit to be the Hokage’s apprentice and have requested her to come and discuss the situation all together.“

“Ah. That is very reasonable.”

“Mhm. Very.”

Without warning, Sakura shoved him off -a little harder than she intended- and stormed into the house. She was seeing red, the fact that Fugaku thought he had any kind of say in her life was driving her mental. What, so Sasuke’s heartbroken. Boo-fucking-hoo, so was she years ago for months on end. Did anyone care about that? No. Did anyone help her through the muck that her life became? No. Did she have a clan behind her back to push her to victory? Fuck no. She fought hard, she trained hard, and worked hard every single day of her life for everything she had. And that stuck up jackass thought he was going to tear it all down just because his baby boy told a white lie to sell himself as the victim here? 

Bull. _Shit_.

This rivalry had gone far enough. It was one thing to feel competitive towards someone else, she had Ino on her ass for crying out loud, but this was taking a disturbing turn. Sasuke made the mistake of bringing her into the loop, but she was going to make damn sure it would be the best thing to happen to this dispute. 

Hearing a few familiar voices behind a pair of double doors, Sakura swung them open so hard they slammed on the wall with so much force the frame and concrete cracked. She stood with both her feet firmly on the floor, a fury unmatched even by Tsunade’s then and there, and she patiently waited for the shock to subside from the several people inside. Numerous Uchiha filled the room, possibly trusted faces that were there to support the head of the clan though Sakura had trouble placing any of them. Mikoto had taken her place next to her husband, and Fugaku had a look on his face that very clearly said he’d underestimated her already. Between them, Sasuke stood annoyed, while right across was Tsunade and... Naruto?

“Naruto? What are you doing here?”

The perky blonde smiled sheepishly, as if he’d been caught sneaking around after hours, “Ah, you know how it is... Hokage experience and all...” He waved a hand in the air, nervous as he’d had too much experience with her wrath in the past to know what could come out of it. She’d forgotten that Naruto had been shadowing Tsunade for some time now, learning the ins and outs of being the head of the village. Why he needed to be in this particular meeting was beyond her, but he was here and there was business to tend to. Turning to look at Sasuke again, she glared at him and gritted her teeth. 

“What gives you the right to rule over my life?” She asked him, filters and formalities be damned.

“What gives you the right to cheat on me and sleep with my brother?”

“We didn’t sleep together, we-, for crying out loud, the details aren’t important! Sasuke, we broke up.”

Sasuke scoffed, “We didn’t break up, it was a fight and you ran away crying like you always do whenever something even remotely bothers you. You couldn’t handle it, so you ran off and roped Itachi in to get back at me.”

“Are you even _listening_ to yourself right now? Do you hear how ridiculous you sound? We were both there, I didn’t run off, _you_ did.”

Tsunade slammed her fist on the wooden floor, looking like she was getting more irritated by the second. “Let’s all calm down,” she said, taking in a deep breath and letting the air out through her mouth, “...and regroup. We know Sasuke’s side. Now we hear Sakura’s. After that, we will find a middle ground where everyone is happy, or unhappy, and then you will all leave me alone. Understood?”

Fugaku seethed, standing up and pointing angrily at Sakura, “I will hear _nothing_ from that wench, she’s been seducing both my sons behind either of their backs. That is not the kind of behavior I want to see in your apprentice, _Tsunade_.”

Sakura tensed, looking back at Tsunade for her reaction. She knew her Shishou hardly took it well when she was being bossed around by the elders, always fighting them on every decision as she tried to push for a change in the system. Being mindful of the time of the day, Sakura assumed it was about the time where Tsunade tried to get through the mountains of paperwork that overflowed daily on her desk, so add that to an angry clan leader badmouthing her apprentice and making ridiculous demands... well, she was surprised to see her Shishou keep her cool. The vein that popped on her forehead should have been enough of a warning to them anyway.

“Like I said,” she forced a smile, one that had Naruto pressing himself up against the far wall behind her, “Let’s calm down and hear what my esteemed, decorated, and highly respected student has to say.”

The attention suddenly all directed at her made her freeze up for a moment. Sakura didn’t know how this would turn out, wether it would be in her favor or Sasuke’s. One thing she could rely on was Tsunade and Naruto’s support through it all, but...what would the truth coming out create? Would it finally destroy Team 7? She couldn’t imagine Sasuke ever building that bridge to her again, and that meant they would never fight together again. But if she agreed to his claims, it still pushed him away never to return. It was a tough chapter to close, despite how much she needed to cut his toxic ass out of her life sooner rather than later, and because of his selfishness it had become a lose-lose situation. Sakura took a moment to look into Naruto’s eyes, looking for some form of reassurance in this critical moment. To her relief, he grinned and gave her a cheerful thumbs up, mouthing wordlessly “You’ve got this.” Or maybe it was “You’ll flunk this”... Sakura decided to believe the first one, and took a deep breath.

Just as she was about to start to speak her mind, worried her voice would sound uneasy and give away how nervous she was, an arm wrapped over her shoulders. Sakura looked besides herself, meeting Itachi’s eyes, and found that last bit of courage she needed to do what she had to do. Smiling determinedly, and looking at the stunned faces of Itachi’s family members, she finally found the right words to get them both out of this mess. 

“It’s not as simple as you all think... and I’m positive not one of you have had a relationship that was as cut and dry as Sasuke is making this out to be. The festival night did end with us having a fight, because by then Sasuke was practically dragging me across the village to get to his bedroom against my will.”

“That’s absurd,” Sasuke snapped.

“You slapped me across the face.”

“You’re lying.”

“You waited until my defenses were down, you knew I trusted you and didn’t feel the need to have my guard up around you. And you took advantage of that to hurt me. All because you were angry that I hadn’t slept with you yet. That’s all you were interested in, all because you wanted to one up Itachi and win me over. I’m not some sexual conquest, and I refused to be another notch in your bedpost. So you took it out on me, and ran with your tail between your legs before I had the chance to retaliate. You’re a coward.”

You could hear a pin drop in the room with how quiet it had become. The slight murmurs and exchange of words that were commonplace earlier on were missing, much to her delight. All that could be heard was the small amused snort from Itachi, and Naruto’s very small, but still noticeable, “Bruh...” 

In the middle of the room, Sasuke was speechless. She had no idea what he had told everyone before she came in, but by the looks of everyone in the room she had -hopefully- successfully countered it. Though Fugaku still glared daggers at her, his comments were also thankfully kept to himself. With nobody else having anything to say, Sakura cleared her throat and continued. 

“To briefly conclude Itachi... it’s not any one of your businesses to know the full extent, but it has nothing to do with Sasuke. It happened. It wasn’t planned, it wasn’t pursued, it just happened. Plain and simple. My actions do not deserve my removal as the Hokage’s apprentice, neither does it require her presence here at all. What was a small, private quarrel has now become a very unnecessary waste of time and resources, both of which could be spent better than embarrassing yourselves so publicly. If there’s nothing else for me to do here, then I will take my leave and ask not to be disturbed with this manner further.”

Hearing no resistance from anybody in the room, Sakura took one last look at Tsunade for confirmation. The older woman smiled, looking satisfied with how Sakura had handled the ridiculous meeting, and nodded. Nodding back, Sakura swiftly turned on her heel and left the room, making her way through the house until she found the entrance and promptly left. 

She knew Itachi was hot on her heel, but whatever had possessed her to speak to a room full of older, wiser, and more powerrful shinobi was fueling her feet to get as far away from the Compound as possible. She picked up the pace when she saw the gates, making sure to appear strong and focused until she was out of view from everyone. 

Slipping into an alleyway, Sakura let out a long, heavy, weary sigh and slid against the wall until she sunk to the floor. 

“Oh my god, I can’t believe I just did that...”

She gave out a very whiny, high pitched squeak in frustration, looking over to Itachi as he came up besides her. He didn’t speak, sitting down next her and sliding an arm around her waist to pull her in closer. 

“You did...”

“Awful?” Sakura interrupted, laying her head on his shoulder and staring at the stray cats gather around an unlucky mouse they had cornered over by the bins. 

“Well, you made your point. And you stood your ground. That means you did very well. But from someone who has seen meetings like this very often...”

“Awful?”

“A bit, yes.”

The stress of it all seemed to culminate then, though instead of getting angry and lashing out as she usually did when she was pent up, Sakura laughed. The cats startled, running in a group away from the two, and she laughed harder. Itachi smiled with the corner of his mouth, pulling her into an awkward little side hug in the alleyway. 

“Ah, jeez,” she said when she finally calmed down, “This is so ridiculous. These two days have been heavier than any mess I’ve been in up until now. I definitely have too much free time.”

“Free time is a good thing. I’ve almost used up the last of mine for a while.”

Sakura stiffened next to him. She gently pried herself out of his hold and moved to kneel in front of him instead. 

“Itachi...” she looked into his eyes, “You’re not saying what I think you’re saying, right?”

“If you’re thinking that I have to leave again, then...yes.”

“When?”

“In a few hours...”

“A few hours?! When were you planning on telling me, I... This is unfair, you’ve only been in Konoha all of two days, how can they barely give you any rest in between them?”

Itachi shrugged, though she could tell he wasn’t happy about it either, “Part of the demand of what I do.”

Sakura sat back on her heels, feeling completely and utterly defeated. She had counted on one more thing to ruin whatever she managed to salvage between them, but she had completely forgotten that there was the risk of him disappearing for huge stretches of time at any moment, no matter what. It wasn’t fair. Itachi probably wanted to take her in earlier, as much as possible, before he’d have to go on another mission, but with everything that happened... well, the precious time had been wasted. 

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t want to pressure you to do anything just because I wouldn’t be around for much longer.”

“Ugh, do you hear yourself? Why are you so disgustingly perfect...?”

Itachi chuckled, stroking her cheek lovingly, “Part of the charm.”

“Aah, see, there’s the cockyness again. I’ve been waiting for the Uchiha to show in you, good to know you do have an ego to stroke.”

The comment she’d just made had her blushing as she thought of several things that could be stroked, though the embarrassment wasn’t there to hold her back. She laughed again. As tragic as it was, that was what he chose to do. And it was damned important, same as her life and the way she chose was important. They were both incredibly time consuming, full of sacrifice, full of danger just to make sure those who stayed at home could see another sunrise, and have another summer. 

She wouldn’t let him apologize for anything, as much as she could see he wanted to. She respected it. She understood. But she wouldn’t let her real disappointment show until he’d gone. Looking up at the cracks of sky between the buildings, the sky had slowly turned orange and she realized the day had gone on a lot longer. 

“How about this...” she said, “Before I get sappy and overbearing, we say goodbye right here right now. And I’ll wait for you.”

Itachi sat up straight, attentive as he listened to her promise. 

“And...” she continued, grabbing his hand in between both of hers, “Whenever you come back home, come find me. And we’ll take it from there.”

“It could take weeks, even months.”

“Okay, so what’s your point?”

“My point being that I can’t expect you to wait for me, especially when there’s always the risk of never coming back.”

“Oh, please,” Sakura brushed him off, letting go of his hand to stand up, “Every day carries a risk. Everyone could, out of nowhere and without warning, drop even if they’re healthy. It’s life, you come and go and make your dent in the world. Maybe not a lot of people would choose to wait, but that’s what I want to do. You won’t be able to convince me not to.”

Itachi stood up as well, taking her chin in his hand. He tilted her head forward and kissed her lips, followed by a trail of little kisses down her neck until he wrapped her up in another hug. He squeezed her tight, Sakura responding the same if not tighter, though he let go sooner than she’d been wanting. 

“So...until next time?” He asked, and Sakura was already regretting her plan. But she nodded, trying her best to smile. 

“Until next time.”

Itachi stroked her cheek one last time before turning to leave the alleyway they had hidden in for a little while. Before he poofed away, he faced her one last time and smirked. 

“By the way...” he chuckled again, “You may have forgotten to heal the hickeys.”

“Wait, what?” Sakura ran to the nearest reflection she could find, a murky discarded mirror where the cats had been circling their prey, and let out a horrible screech. When she looked for Itachi again, all that she had of him were those crow feathers scattered in the air. She cursed his name loudly, angry and ashamed. She’d just argued her case in a room full to the brim of people with her neck and chest covered in _love bites_?!

“I’m going to kill you, Itachi Uchiha!”


	5. Now I Only Obsess Over You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter in which I show that I’m no better than Jiraiya. Cheers! R&R, I read all comments and reread them almost obsessively because I love hearing your thoughts.

Sakura was laid awake in the middle of the night again. Her fingers rubbed the silken kimono that was spread right besides her on her bed, the soft, smooth fabric feeling nice against her skin and soothing her worried mind.

It had been a lot longer than she’d hoped, but just as long as she’d expected. The summer had rolled past, heavy and hot, followed by a stormy autumn, and finalized by the coldest winter she’d been through in a while. For a brief moment, she thought he would show up on her balcony unannounced and smirking, but it never came. Before she knew it, the year had rolled past, seasons fading into one another until she found herself having to turn on the radiator. Logically, she knew her current mood was suffering simply because it was the darker months, but the loneliness that had continued to grow even during the longest of days as she kept her distance from everyone. Doing anything but staying home in her free time had become too overbearing and she hadn’t really had much of another option.

Rumors started floating about some time after Itachi and her had shared their goodbye’s, and regardless of how hard the Hokage fought against them it still left a very noticeable stain in her reputation. It had even extended all the way to the civilians, strange looks and murmurs following her around every time she took to the streets. The shinobi she was paired with for missions were thankfully mature and smart enough not to take heed to the people running their mouths, settling with either giving her the benefit of the doubt or not caring about her private matters at all. 

Finding a small amount of freedom and peace amongst them, Sakura began the bad habit of taking on mission after mission, B-rank to C-rank and back, to escape from the tension of her life. She coped by reassuring herself that she had never really been any good at social settings anyway, never finding the flow that Ino had with her friends or the outgoing personality that came naturally to Naruto, but it didn’t do much to reassure her at all. It just sunk her in a little further every time she had to turn back home. The walls were suffocating, but the noise outside of them even more deafening.

One good thing did come out of it all, at least. Though she had lost touch with many friends, she found herself able to find solace in her former sensei very often. Running into him (or him purposely running into her, she hadn’t quite figured it out yet) almost every time she found herself outside, they’d set a time to simply sit in each other’s company and take in the day. It was really the only sunlight Sakura ever really got these days, still preferring to stay in, but who could deny Kakashi’s eye crinkle when he so sweetly asked her to come walk with him to the Epitaph?

She smiled to herself, rolling her eyes as she remembered the time she couldn’t take the pressure and just snapped in front of him. He definitely had no clue how to handle it at all, how to stop the tears that seemed never ending. But as she doubled over in her grief, not knowing what to say to explain why she suddenly started to cry, Kakashi just smiled in his own Kakashi way and stayed with her until she was ready to face life again. 

She’d definitely been blessed with such lovely people around her that cared. Hell, Mikoto even stopped by on the rare occasion with a hug, some advice, a few jokes that became borderline inappropriate (the things that woman would say could make even Ibiki blush...), and a dinner that lasted her for a few days. But it wasn’t enough. She missed him. So damn much that it pissed her off. By definition, what happened between them could even be classified as a fling, but she was aching for his company more than anybody else’s. 

Sakura sat herself up, gazing longingly at the five crested kimono laid besides her. She touched the Uchiha symbol, finding it a little funny that no matter which decisions she made she couldn’t get away from the iconic red and white fan. Almost as if her fate was sealed amongst them, and the universe was making sure she followed suit no matter what tried to steer her away. 

Or...something of the sort.

“Ugh, I need to get out of here...” she mumbled to herself. Usually she only ever considered fate as a real thing whenever a depressive episode was about to hit, and since the days were reaching their shortest of the year she was expecting this one to hit a little stronger. Standing up, she realized she’d wasted the night staring at her ceiling again and opened the blinds to let some light into her room. Satisfied with the brightness, she turned to look at the kimono again.

Mikoto had very happily brought the box over, along with her yukata, a few days after the hype had died out. She didn’t ask her anything, simply saying she’d left something of hers behind that shouldn’t be forgotten. Sakura blushed a deep red, taking the box and tucking it under her arm, and hugged the Uchiha mother tight. She’d considered trying it on, stripping down to her underwear and holding it in front of herself in the mirror numerous times, but every time she did she heard Itachi in her head saying she could save it for after marriage and she’d grew too shy to put it on. Did he mean that as a joke, an off handed comment, or a promise? Who could tell now, really, it wasn’t like she could ask.

Looking outside her window, she saw people setting up lights and lanterns. The snow festival had creeped up on her, almost quietly and nearly unnoticed, and she’d promised Kakashi she would attend. Sakura hardly had the heart to wear the non-crested kimono, but she wasn’t about to go back on her word. Kakashi had done a lot for her, the least she could do was make the effort. Putting the tomesode away, sakura pulled out the light peach one and began the process of putting it on, trying her best to get the obi wrapped as best she could by herself. 

Layers on and waist ties tied, Sakura grabbed a fake fur shawl she’d bought for the cold to make sure she’d stay warm, and looked in the mirror. Her hair was done different than she usually would for this sort of thing, settling for a more ordinary bun adorned by her usual array of pins and clips. Wearing the kimono for the second time, she felt she just wasn't doing it justice. It could be that Itachi wasn't there to shower her with compliments, or maybe she missed the way it felt as he'd turned his attention to more intimate affairs, but regardless the spark was missing. Forcing a smile so she wouldn't worry her friends too much, she whispered some encouragement to herself and went on her way. 

It was the first real snow of the season, so thankfully it wasn't too humid or uncomfortable, but she was definitely grateful to be wearing the tomesode instead of the thin yukata this year. She drew a bit of attention her way, but paid it little mind as she hugged an umbrella tight to her body and wound her way to the center of the festivities. She couldn't spot Kakashi just yet, muttering a few threats under her breath and promises of extreme pain if he dared being late, and she passed through the several stalls and ice sculptures that had already been set up. 

It was beautiful. Everything twinkled, the snow settling good and proper with hardly any disturbances just yet. Sakura ran her hand over a table she walked past, leaving a fingertrail in the thin snow, and let her thoughts wander while she walked around. It wasn't doing much to get her out of her funk, the dreaded dark cloud still hovering over her like a curse, but she was happy that she'd had the chance to give Itachi's gift some use.

Deciding she’d had enough of the growing looks of judgement as more people trickled in from their homes, Sakura figured she’d rendezvous with Kakashi later in the evening and went to find some comfort by the canal instead. It wasn’t a very long walk from the main grounds of the festival, and it would give Kakashi enough time to be late for the both of them. A cool winter breeze caressed her cheek as she looked on to the water, the river having gone a bit drier due to the season, and she wondered what it was she was waiting for.

Had she inadvertently put her entire life on pause for Itachi? It wouldn’t be the first time she’d made that mistake, but she’d hoped she had grown stronger and wiser from that to never do it again. Or maybe it wasn’t as simple as that. Perhaps she couldn’t help but pause it all, wanting to achieve her one true dream of having somebody to live it with. It would be stupid anyway, Itachi was ANBU. His absence would be commonplace. He would come home for an indefinite amount of time, just to leave again for an indefinite amount of time. Could they have a relationship that way? She knew some managed to do it, but the stress and the distance was enough to break most couples apart. She knew she wouldn’t handle that happening very well. There was a chance that she’d finally found someone to love, someone to share the burden, someone to come back to. She didn’t want anything to mess with that, not any more than it already has been messed with.

She breathed in deep. One step at a time, she reminded herself. They’d taken the first steps, even skipped a few important ones at that, and all that needed to come next was for him to come to her and figure it out. What more was there to it but that? Life was fleeting, their own as shinobi even more so. Why waste precious time ruminating over the useless “What if?”

“You look beautiful.”

Sakura turned towards the voice, her heart jumping up to her throat.

“You’re home...”

Sakura looked him up and down, happily surprised. His ANBU gear had been replaced by a kimono Sakura correctly assumed was the match to the crested tomesode he had gifted her, and it looked incredible on him. It was almost elegant, as if he was made to wear traditional clothes. Itachi walked up besides her, looking at the canal himself. 

“Your obi is tied wrong.”

Sakura scowled. Out of anything he could say, that’s what he came up with. Typical. 

“Well, I didn’t have any help. And it wasn’t like I could call you,” she snapped back. 

“True. But I’m here now.”

That statement felt heavy, as if he’d been wanting to say it for quite some time now. And not just about the obi. Sakura looked to the floor, the past year swirling in her head and the dark cloud still lingering like a shadow, and wondered if he’d caught any word on her state before meeting her. He probably had, knowing him and his talents. She turned her gaze up to him again and he caught her eye, frowning as he sensed her unease. 

“When do you have to leave again?” She bluntly asked.

“Don’t worry about that right now.”

“No, really. When? I need to know.”

Did she really need to know? Or was she just already wanting to count down the days before she was on another pause again? Itachi sighed, shaking his head sideways. “Don’t worry about it now. Right now, I’m here with you.”

“I missed you...”

“I know.”

“And its... been very hard.”

“I know, Sakura... I’m sorry.”

His apology stuck her in the heart, and she felt her chest ache painfully. Why was she still so sad? He was right here and she’d been waiting for this moment for so long, thinking about it day and night how she wanted it to go. But the moment had come, the setting almost a dream come true, and the sadness was still layered over her like a thick sludge. If anything, she felt even heavier and wearier.

“Don’t apologize, you aren’t at fault for what you do,” she insisted, keeping her voice from betraying her true feelings. 

“I had a choice.”

“We all have choices. It doesn’t mean we should make them as we see fit, we have responsibilities. It’s important we make sure to follow through.”

Itachi seemed to think for a moment, turning to face her and furrowing his brow. “You’ve been overdoing it, haven’t you?”

Sakura shifted her eyes from his back to the canal, a guilty feeling washing over her. “A little bit,” she admitted, shameful that she’d relied on missions to run. 

“Kakashi mentioned you have a few bruises you’ve put off healing.”

Sakura snapped her eyes back on him, annoyed, “You talked to Kakashi?”

“Why do you think he asked you to come to the festival?” Itachi smirked. 

Ah. That explains why she couldn’t find him anywhere. There wasn’t even one trace of the Jounin and his perverted book anywhere near the place. She scoffed, rolling her eyes. Of course they would plan this together. 

“You could have just come to my place,” Sakura suggested, gently shaking the layer of snow that had collected on her umbrella. 

“I could have, but then I wouldn’t have seen you wearing that in its full glory.”

“As if I wouldn’t have played dress up one more time for you...” she mumbled, aware he caught every word. Even though she was annoyed he didn’t come directly to her, a small part of her was happy to have met him out in the open and properly dressed. She’d only ever seen him uniformed, headband in place and clothes pristine. It made her wonder if he bothered to own anything else, but he wouldn’t be the first man to use his assigned clothing for every day wear. Her sensei briefly crossing her mind, she felt a little smile tug at her lips. 

Besides her, she noticed Itachi had tensed at her comment, though she couldn’t see any discomfort on him. Looking at him curiously, she noticed a blush peppering his cheeks. 

“Y...you’re blushing?”

“The last time you dressed up for me, you didn’t spend a lot of time actually wearing the clothes...”

Sakura now shared in his blush, turning away to hide a laugh. The cloud was slowly lifting, thoughts of time running out briefly put inside a box for a moment. It was starting to feel easy again, being here and talking to somebody. Almost as if they hadn’t even skipped a beat, picking up exactly where they’d left off before. Gods, she’d only really had a night and a day with him like this. How did it feel as if she’d known him all her life? Why was this so easy? She loved it. She wanted more of it, all day and all night for as long as she could have it. Would the world really be so cruel as to strip her from it again? Would it really be so bad to be selfish, just for a little while? 

After all, what’s life without someone to spend it with?

Feeling a little bit bold, Sakura, turned to face him properly. “Well...” she said, softly twirling her umbrella, “There is one kimono I haven’t worn for you yet.”

Itachi smiled, “We’re saving that one, remember?”

“Okay, you really need to tell me if that’s a joke or not. I’ve been breaking my brain this entire time trying to figure out what you meant by that.”

Itachi shrugged, offering her his arm to take so they could leave the canals. Sakura slipped her arm in the loop, allowing him to lead the way and felt a pleasant swarm of butterflies come to life as the looks on the streets now changed to shock and curiosity. 

“It’s more fun to watch you guess.” 

And there it was. That nice, serene, easy feeling she’d been hoping for all this time. Her concerns still had a large voice in the back of her head, shouting her worries almost constantly, but Itachi actually being here helped drown it all out. And he didn’t even have to do anything for it to work. She had many fears, perhaps a few too many and some that were born during her toughest moments, but she had a bit of consolation realizing that he probably had them as well. Though that wasn’t a conversation they needed to have at all. 

The worries would always be there. But, right now, that was okay. 

She hugged his arm tighter, shoving any unease and discomfort as far as anyone possibly could. She hardly noticed until they were almost at her place, but Sakura hadn’t caught any familiar faces as they walked through the festival. They’d gone off into their own world again, talking about whatever had come to mind at the moment, sharing a sweet or two and drinking in each other. Sakura wouldn’t have it any other way. She’d apologize to everyone next time she’d see them, it wasn’t like they wouldn’t understand after she’d explained anyway.

“We’re not rushing through anything, right?” She pondered out loud, watching a group of children run past them cheerfully. 

“I’ve been gone for over a year, Sakura. I’m sure we have an excuse. We walk at our own pace.”

“Mh...”

Sakura opened the door to the building, sticking her keys inside the lock to her place and stepping to the side to let him in. 

“You know, it’s kind of weird that this is the first time you’ve actually used my front door-“

Itachi slammed her against the back of the door, pressing his mouth to hers in a desperate kiss. Sakura dropped her keys, the crinkle of the metal startling her, though she caught on and wrapped her arms around his neck and returned the kiss with just as much energy. They nearly tripped over everything, the coffee table ended up in a corner of the small living room and the bookcase by her bedroom ended up crashing onto the floor with all of its contents scattered across the room as they tumbled their way clumsily towards her bed. 

Itachi reached up to her hair, swiftly removing everything she had put on and loosening her locks from its hold. He dug his fingers in her hair and gripped it, sighing into her mouth mouth as he tugged her head to the side a little roughly to get access to her neck. Sakura was completely caught unaware, the passion behind him taking control of it all, and she loved every second of it. He didn’t give her a chance to think, she could only react instinctually as he untied her obi and tossed everything to the floor. 

Sakura tugged at his clothes, upset and frustrated with his own layers, and managed to pull off some of the ties and slide his sleeves down just enough. She ran her hands up his muscled arms, feeling a rush of blood to the head when she realized she’d never had the chance to have him this way before. Feeling bold, she slid her hand up all the way to his neck until she felt he base of his ponytail, and pulled. 

His hair tie ended up somewhere on the heap of clothes on the floor, a problem for later, and Itachi suddenly picked her up and deposited her in the middle of her bed. He shrugged his kimono off a little further, Sakura reeling at every new bit of skin she could spot, and pulled her own off slowly as he kissed down her neck, to her chest, and finally to suck on an exposed breast. Sakura’s breath hiccuped, and she arched her chest in pleasure. 

It was so different to last time, when he’d slowly edged every moment to the next with much care. Compared to now, he had almost appeared to hesitate despite how Sakura had been responding so well. But this time, Itachi opted out of any messing around, pulling the sides of her kimono further as he abandoned her perky nipple and kissed her down to her navel where he met the hem of her panties. Sakura fidgeted, the heat growing further in herself, and she lifted her hips up just enough to help him pull the annoying piece of fabric off. 

He didn’t ask or say anything at all, instead wrapping an arm around her thigh and exposing her clit with his free hand. Sakura felt the cold air as she was briefly exposed, and let out a long, deep, mewl when he covered her with his mouth. He sucked on her softly, now actually moving a little slower than before so as not to over sensitize the small little bud, but it still nearly drove her over the edge all the same. She gripped her pillow so tight her knuckles were turning white, and Itachi had to hold her hips down harder to stop her from bucking him off. She was another writhing mess underneath him, lips hanging open in ecstasy as she was on the receiving end of a barrage of slow laps.

“I-Itachi...” she stuttered, and he stopped before she could cum. He crawled over her, and Sakura sat herself up so she could remove the last tie at his waist. She tugged, but it wouldn’t budge, and she noticed that in their desperation to get rid of every little thing in between their bodies they had successfully knotted his kimono. 

Sakura half-heartedly laughed, “Jiraiya makes it sound like it’s so easy to fuck in these...”

Itachi frowned, “It is. We’ll do it this way.”

He wrapped an arm around her waist and in one fluid movement, he had her on her stomach. Sakura’s cheeks darkened, if they even could at this point, at the position he’d just settled them into. She didn’t have the chance to think too much into it, Itachi gripping her hair again and giving it a loving tug as her neck was free for him to mark and bruise all over again. 

He settled himself directly above her, reaching around to feel how wet she’d become and hear her whimper a few more times. Satisfied, he kissed her in the crook of her neck and placed the tip of his member at her entrance. Sakura swallowed, a small bit of nervousness hitting her just then, but she pushed it aside and looked over her shoulder with a pleading gaze, “Please...?”

Itachi looked immensely pleased by her word, lowering his lips to her ear and stilling her hips with a strong grip, “Tell me you missed me...”

“I missed you... And I need you, Itach-ah...”

He pushed himself inside of her, setting a slow and grueling pace as she felt every inch of him. It felt like an eternity until he was at the hilt, holding his breath. Sakura wanted to plead, pride be damned, but she couldn’t even come out with the words. Even now it was like he was torturing her all over again, but his hold on her meant she couldn’t even thrust back and urge him to move. 

“Don’t be mean...” she pleaded, feeling Itachi smirk against her ear and taste the salt of her sweat. Sakura shivered underneath him, mentally crossing her fingers that this dominant streak that overcame him was commonplace rather than just due to his absence. 

“I’m not being mean...” he kissed the back of her neck, “I’m just enjoying you...”

Sakura pressed the side of her face to the pillow arching her back as far as he allowed her to and giggled when she hear him take in a sharp breath.

“Will you be gentle?”

“Do you want me to be?”

“Not really...”

She felt him pull back, moving his other hand from her hair to wrap around her waist again as he began a series of aching, slow, wet thrusts. Sakura gasped, shoving a mouthful of bedsheets into her mouth to bite down on as he went a little harder. She could tell he was still testing the waters, unsure of what limits she had and how far to take it for a first time. But the way he shivered and possibly bruised her hip as he tried to keep himself from losing control gave her a rush of excitement. 

A little daring voice in the back of her mind wanted to push him and see if she could toy with him enough to dance around the edge. But once again semi-reading her thoughts, Itachi grabbed her chin from behind and made her spit out the sheets in her mouth, thrusting into her a little harder to keep his control. The room felt like it was lacking air, her panting getting quicker along with a constant whimpering that would definitely leave her embarrassed later. Pawing at whatever she had before her, she was growing frustrated that she wasn’t able to grab and tug at him like she wanted. 

“Slow down...” he said, his voice like velvet, “We have all the time in the world...”

But she couldn’t slow down, their sinful acts enveloping her in a world entirely made up of his scent and touch. She felt the telltale pulse growing inside her, tightening her core with every move Itachi did, and her sounds evolved into a louder symphony of mewls and whines. 

“M-my neighbors are going to kill me...” she stuttered, arching her back again to get him to hit that sweet spot, and he groaned lustfully against her hair. Sure enough, he was starting to grow quicker and less structured, and he bit and sucked at everything he could get his mouth on. Sakura felt herself be sent further, almost reaching her orgasm and shaking off his hold on her face to bury her face in her bedsheets again. 

Itachi sighed her name in her ear, pure ecstasy dripping from every word, and Sakura suddenly lost all sense of time and space as she tensed. Her entire body spasmed furiously, forcing Itachi to hold her down again, and she vocalized his name in every octave she could make. He bit her shoulder hard enough to mark, pumping in and out harder and faster until he finally released inside her, pulsating as he emptied himself completely with one last push.

Itachi panted, releasing her battered skin from his teeth and laying his cheek on her back. Sakura blinked the stars away, still too delirious find her voice and simply letting her body relax after all the lovely abuse it went through. Pulling himself out of her carefully, Itachi slumped onto his back besides her and pushed his hair out of his face. 

It had gone so much better than she’d been imagining it. She was entirely satisfied and happy, reaching over with a limp hand to lay it across his chest. Itachi held it, bringing it up to his lips to kiss. 

“So...” she said, once she had recovered enough, “does this mean I can stop calling you senpai, or...”

She felt his chuckle rumble through his chest. It made her feel comfortable and happy, being here with him after spending so much time alone for so long. The little things are what pulled it all together, like the sound of his breathing finally evening out and the way he felt as she ran the tip of her thumb along his lips, it all cemented that she wasn’t dreaming anymore. 

Exhausted from everything that had led to this one explosive moment, she tugged on the bedsheets and covered the both of them while she settled herself in between his arm and his torso. 

“I don’t want you to go again...” she started to sound a little drowsy, the words coming out on their own without her being able to filter them. 

“Then ask me to stay.”

“I can’t do that.”

“You can. Just ask me.”

Sakura lifted her head to look at him better. He still had that damned kimono half on, a view that went very much appreciated by her, and his hair was now sprawled over her cushions. A bit silly, the Uchiha heir laid amongst stuffed clouds and a botanical print pillow case, but she bet he didn’t even notice in the afterglow of his climax. 

“I...” Could she? Would she really ask him to stay? She would hate to think he would someday resent her for giving into such a huge demand, but she desperately wanted to be selfish. Just once, she wanted to be completely and unrregretably selfish. 

“I want you to stay...please.”

Itachi gently nudged her onto her back, propping himself up on his hands above her. His hair pooled around her, a canopy of jet black that obscured the rest of the room. 

“Then I’ll stay. Either way, it’s the only option I have left to take after today, but it makes it easier to know you want me around.”

“I...wait, only option?”

“I quit ANBU this morning.”

Sakura shoved him onto a sitting position, immediately sobered up and aware, “You did what?”

“Yes,” he responded, “That’s also why I went to see Kakashi. He seems to think that taking on a group of Genin is much more rewarding and life extending than whatever ANBU offered me. Well, to a degree. He also said you three wore him down to the bone, but that it was worth the trouble.”

To stop him from talking, Sakura put both of her hands on his cheeks. She blinked a few times, trying to comprehend what he’d just explained. 

“You’re going to be a sensei instead, that’s what you’re saying?”

“Yes.”

“You. With three genin. They’ll eat you alive.”

“I can hardly believe three kids would do that.”

“Itachi, they are small little sociopaths we can legally give sharp weapons to. I’ve had the idea of you being one, but you have to be positive this is what you want to do. Are you sure you’re not just making this decision for me?”

Itachi pulled her hand away and lent down to give her a kiss, “A bit. But I’ve been thinking about it for a while now.”

Well. Itachi as a sensei... That would be interesting. He’d be almost always around, and Sakura could just as easily decline the mass amount of missions in exchange for more hours in the hospital. A duty she had been putting aside as much as she could since he’d been gone, she was ashamed to admit. But now that he was here and changing an entire career for the chance to try something with her... she felt a bit of courage come back to her. Nobody else would give her the time of day, and here was Uchiha Itachi choosing a brand new life just for her. 

“Oh, your dad is going to be so pissed off,” she laughed, remembering how angry he was at that horrible meeting all that time ago, “He pulled some strings to get you in to ANBU earlier, didn’t he?

Itachi shrugged, giving her another kiss and taking his time, “I can’t really care about that when I still have you naked in front of me.”

She let him push her back against the bed again, getting carried away with worrying her bottom lip between his teeth and swallowing her giggles. 

“There is one thing I need to know, before anything else,” he mumbled in between kisses.

“What is it?”

“Did you eally read Jiraiya’s books while I was gone?”

Sakura tried to hide behind the covers, feeling as if he’d caught her doing something she shouldn’t have, “What can I say... you started a thing.”

“With the kimonos?”

“Yes, and he’s the only literate smut writer around.. He has a way with words.”

“You can excuse it however you want, you’re still a pervert...”

“Says the man who made my shoulder bleed while he came.”


	6. More Than You Bargained For

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short but sweet, a necessary little filler for what’s to come. Ahh ahaha...ahh... I dragged you guys in with some fluffy smut, let’s see how long that lasts. DuN DUN DUN...

“What do you _want_?”

It was a Sunday. Out of every other day, her friends knew not to disturb her on a Sunday. Kakashi knew, especially after being threatened with his book collection being burned after dropping in unannounced; Naruto knew, and she made damn sure it was ingrained into his brain after his third mistake waltzing in; Even Ino and Sai knew, and the both of them with their rude entitlement to her personal space and disregard for basic human decency were the toughest to convince to not disturb Sakura on a Sunday.

Apparently, Sasuke believed himself to be the exception.

Her former teammate offered an uninterested ‘hn’, smirking at how disheveled she looked, “I brought you something.”

Sakura brushed her hair back, the length really grating on her nerves now, and glared at him while she tugged the oversized shirt a little lower. “Can’t it wait until, oh, I don’t know... tomorrow? Or, at the very least, *not* 8 in the morning?” Her tone raised as she finished her sentence, but the irritable man was unfazed. Holding a brown box, he shoved it into her chest and waited for her to properly take it before putting his hands back into his pockets.

“I’ve been meaning to give this to you for a while now, but between your missions and my shifts at the police force, I kept missing you.”

“Couldn’t you have just mailed this?”

“No.” 

Sakura sighed. Always complicating everything. Since Itachi had left and she’d self-isolated due to his snitching, Sasuke appeared to have grown out of the snark a little bit. Not that it was very obvious to most, but Sakura could tell he had eased off the unnecessary commentary in exchange for an extra eye roll. They didn’t cross paths as much, Sakura made sure to keep away from any and all Uchiha affairs, but when they did he gave her a few minutes and a small smile before heading back to whatever the little prick was doing. Weird. After staring him down for a little longer than she wanted, she scoffed and pulled at a little tag on each side of the box to pop it open, coming to terms with the fact that she would be too awake by now to tuck back into bed anyway. Pulling the lid off, she tugged the loose tissue aside and felt a little bewildered when the contents were revealed.

“These are geta...” she muttered, looking at the sandals in surprise. They were very simple, the straps a dark blue and crafted wonderfully, which meant Sasuke didn’t just pick them up at the first shop he found. Great. Another Uchiha giving her something. Wonder what kind of disaster this is going to end her up in now?

“I figured, you know. Since you were careless with yours, I’d give you a proper replacement.”

Sakura rubbed her temples, “Are you referring to the festival night?”

“What else would I be talking about? So annoying...”

“Okay, it’s far too early to be arguing about this again, just... just explain to me why today? It’s been, what, a year? Almost two? I’ve bought and broken three pairs since then.”

Sasuke smirked, “Then it’s good I waited, because those are special.”

Oh, god, she did not have the energy to deal with this. “Let me take a wild guess, these belonged to-“

“To my mother.”

“To your mother. Wonderful.”

The thought of Mikoto did bring her some comfort then, remembering how she’d still kept the habit of visiting and leaving her a meal every now and then. It was sweet and she missed it terribly, especially their conversations that almost always lasted late into the evenings. Suddenly she’d become spotty in her visits, looking a little weary and annoyed for reasons she never did reveal, until she stopped altogether. Looking at Sasuke’s smug face, she smirked to herself remembering how Mikoto often described him as an “angry cat” whenever his way wasn’t granted. But even then, as irritated as she was to stand in front of him on *her* Sunday morning, she had to admit he’d come a long way. Sakura put the sandals back in their box, wrapping the tissue over them and sealing it again. Now tucked under her arm, she fidgeted in place as she tugged on the shirt again. In hindsight, pants would have been a good idea.

“Thank you, but you didn’t have to give these to me, Sasuke-kun.”

“Hn. Just keep them around, they might come in handy. Oh, and tell Itachi he should come by the compound later.

And with that, he turned on his heel after giving her one of his trademark, charming smirks. Sakura rolled her eyes, closing the door behind her and leaving the box on her kitchen counter. She grumbled, thankful to be back in the low light of her home where the blinds were still pulled together. Somehow she’d found herself recieving yet again another traditional, expensive, and well-loved piece of attire from an Uchiha who wouldn’t take no for an answer. She couldn’t tell if he had any ulterior motives, but there was no way in hell it was entirely innocent. It was Sasuke. When did he ever?

Sakura rubbed her forehead again, the migraine now properly set into her head. Itachi had just gotten back yesterday, but the hours that they’d been together felt like an eternity. It overwrote the long, lonely, empty year they’d struggled through, whimpers and vocalized admirations all they needed to start healing. They hadn’t really had much of a conversation, more of a desperate reunion, but Sakura was aching to know more. And the way Sasuke had essentially forced her to relay a message... did that mean he hadn’t gone home yet?

Walking into the bedroom and glancing at the small alarm clock by her nightstand, she counted about 4 hours they’d actually slept. The massive lump of knitted blankets, comforter, and pillows shuffled, and she heard a muffled call of her name from underneath. 

Before any uncomfortable thought had the chance to linger, she threw herself on her bed and found a hole to dig herself under. Pushing pillows aside, she finally reached the drowsy face of Itachi, who lazily blinked up at her before closing his eyes again. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close to him, quickly burying his face into her neck and relaxing. 

“Sasuke’s been acting weird for the past few months...” she said, scratching the top of his head soothingly.

“Hn...”

“He’s been friendlier. He even smiled at me the other day, and I almost screamed. It’s creepy.”

“Mh-hm...”

“He just stopped by now to drop off some shoes...who stops by to drop off shoes?”

“I don’t know...”

“Hey, are you listening?”

Sakura poked him on the head, and Itachi shook his head sideways, “Not really... we stayed up too late last night.” They definitely had gotten carried away, overexerting themselves to near exhaustion, but that was the point. Waking up to his sleepy face gave her such an excited little feeling that she’d almost ran off to get the noise to stop before it woke him up. He was so serene, so tranquil, Sakura never imagined to actually be in that position with anyone. She stopped herself from staring when he frowned in his sleep, the corner of his mouth twitching when Sasuke started to knock harder. But now that she was back in bed, it all felt so far away again. Sakura sighed into his hair, wiggling around until she hooked her leg over his waist without letting the covers disrupt too much or let any cold pockets of air in. She was so tempted to let herself drift back off to sleep, feeling so comfortable in that position, but the questions circling in her thoughts were enough to keep her from her dreams.

“Why would he be so nice so suddenly? He was angry for months after what happened, and we both know how he can hold a grudge.” She sighed a little, rubbing her eyes to get the groggy ness away.

“Could you please not talk about my brother when we’re in bed?” Itachi muttered into her skin, his breath giving her goosebumps, “I really don’t want to think about what he’s been doing all this time...”

“But he was just here, didn’t you hear his voice? And he wouldn’t leave until I took those damned geta from your mom.”

Itachi’s eyes shot open when she mentioned the wooden sandals. He frowned, turning his head to look up at her as best he could under the dark of the blankets, “Which geta?”

“The dark blue ones, why?”

Itachi pulled out from the warmth in her arms, hair lose and tousled from having yet to get up himself. He went on to the kitchen, the loose pair of pajama pants Sakura owned for bed luckily fitting him like a charm and hanging lose at his waist. Sakura playfully turned her head to the side, admiring him from her place on the bed while he looked through the gift. He didn’t bother to pull them out, gently shaking his head from side to side and putting the top back on after giving them a quick look over.

“He shouldn’t have had these, they’re not really our mother’s. They’re our grandmother’s. Mother must have forgotten and let him take the pair.”

He scratched his head, quickly setting the coffee machine up and clicking it before going back to the bedroom and throwing himself on the bed. Sakura greedily ran her fingers over his chest and settled them around his waist with a satisfied hum. 

“So...” she said, tracing circles over his fair skin, “What’s with them? And why’d he ask me to tell you to go home?”

“I don’t have the answers to everything, Sakura... he shouldn’t have known I was here either.”

“A little hard not to assume when my neck is covered in hickeys and bruises, ne...”

He smirked, “True. But they look good on you.”

He half-heartedly lifted his arm, touching the bruised spots along her neck softly. Sakura blushed and smacked it away, sticking her tongue out at him while she fished around for a pair of shorts on the side of the bed.

“Well...” she grumbled, finally finding the cute white pair she swore she wore to bed, “Next time, it’s my turn to suck on you.”

The chuckle he made suddenly shocked her out of her words, realizing what she’d unintentionally promised. Quickly hitting him with the first cushion she could find, she stood up and slipped on the comfortable bottoms. It felt...weird. Not bad weird, not strange weird, but...normal weird. As if this is how it should have been all this time with someone she cared about. There was nothing wrong with her past loves, but with them it was almost too much of a front to put up with. Sakura raised a slightly glowing hand to her forehead, urging the mild migraine to go away. 

“There could be a few reasons why he came around...” Itachi mused, “He wanted an excuse to come by to see if I was back is one of them. Another could just be coincidence. After mother found out I gave you that kimono she was...very much on board. She could just have sent him as the messenger. Or...”

“Or?”

The click of the coffee machine sounded in the background. Sakura stopped the healing chakra, satisfied with the work and the cooling sensation it left behind, and set a few mugs down. Black for him, a little too much for her. She couldn’t have forgotten even if she’d tried. From the bedroom, Itachi rose with his hair now neatly tied back into his usual ponytail, much to her displeasure, and crossed his arms over his chest.

“Or he’s still trying to get under your skin.”

“What, after all this time? You’ve just gotten back, and today of all days he decides to pursue me again? How could he know?”

“I went to say hi to mother after Kakashi.”

Sakura hid her grin behind her coffee, a light blush rising to her cheeks. The image of Itachi, exhausted and weary, making a point to let his mother know he was safer and sound was just too much. It was so sweet not even her over-sugared coffee compared to it. Maybe she even helped him get dressed for the festival... he did look incredibly well.

“So she might have told him... I suppose all three of those are possible. But this is Sasuke we’re talking about.”

“It is.”

Deciding there wasn’t much to go on apart from what’s already been said and done, Sakura decided to shelf it before she began to overthink it all. Sasuke was Sasuke, something that she’d made her peace with a long time ago. If he hadn’t, that’s his problem. Right now, there were better and more important things to be concerned over. She stole a few looks at Itachi, admiring the way he delicately lifted the cup up to his mouth and drank. She still couldn’t believe he was here, after all that time away. Sakura hardly took her hands off of him, even just a light touch while they slept reassuring enough that it was real. Though she was disappointed she couldn’t get him back with a bite after what he did to her shoulder, she knew he had to keep up appearances for when he returned to the compound. And there had been one too many times where one of them had ended up with hickeys in front of the clan...

“You don’t have to do that,” Itachi said, closing his eyes as he sighed when the warmth of the coffee hit.

“Do what?”

“Try to look at me when you think I’m not aware. You can just stare.”

Sakura huffed, cheeks growing redder, “don’t be so vain...who says that’s what I was doing?”

“Your eyes kept going south.”

Sakura snorted into her coffee mug, jumping back slightly when a few drops flew over the edge. She wiped her lips and stuck her tongue out at him a second time, “Don’t flatter yourself...”

Itachi smiled. He looked as if he was going to talk back, give her another comment to blush at, but when his eye caught the box his face changed into his usual stoic features. He tapped the counter, giving himself a small ‘hum’, before turning back to Sakura.

“Did I overhear him right... he said he had shifts in the Police Force?”

Sakura rolled her eyes at that, “And he won’t shut up about it.” 

She remembered very clearly when he’d made it in, Naruto wouldn’t stop talking to her about it even though she’d asked him nicely to please not tell him anything he was doing. But he went on and on, about the uniform, what Sasuke had to do, how it was absolutely incredible, etcetera...etcetera...etcetera. Sakura was sure it was another ploy from Fugaku to keep him under his thumb, realizing his mistake with Itachi and how pushing (or, rather, forcing) him towards ANBU ultimately led to him cutting the umbilical cord, but Sasuke was either none the wiser or didn’t mind. 

However...the old Sakura in her, the one who had cared for Sasuke as her teammate, the one who trained and fought for hours with him by her side was, proud of him either way. Whatever plans were going on within the clan put aside for a moment, she acknowledged it was still a huge achievement. And she still felt the sting of disappointment that she couldn’t be there in a platonic, friendly way to cheer him on. 

“I’m proud of him,” Itachi said, a wistful look on his face. 

Sakura sighed, that odd weight that had been present coming back a small amount. Through it all, through the anger Itachi had felt over his brother’s actions, Sakura knew he adored him to hell and back. It was entirely unconditional, possibly even farther than both their parents had towards him, and a love that strong rarely comes by. 

“I’m sure he knows,” she tried to smile, though her sadness showed through the cracks. Itachi smiled back, small but genuine, and reached to stroke her cheek. 

Feeling like it was enough dillydallying, Sakura finished her coffee and put the empty mug in the sink. She felt a mild parallel to the fated night they shared a drink, they even stood in the same exact places. There were still struggles to face, conversations to have, and careers to plan, but right now she was just happy the worst was over.

“Your mom told me something very curious...” she stepped closer to him, “She said you’ve had feelings for me for quite a while now.”

“Oh?”

“Yep. A few years, she said.“

“A few years? She’s been keeping count...”

Sakura waited for him to put his coffee down before snaking her arms around his neck. 

“How long have you been wanting to wake up in my place?” She purred, propping herself up on her toes to make their noses bump together. Itachi held her back, arms around her waist and holding her tight. 

“A little longer than I’d like to admit...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

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